OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 11.30am.
GAUTENG’S Education MEC Mary Metcalfe denied on Tuesday morning that jobs would be lost as the result of downsizing initiatives in the department.
Colette Clark, acting director of labour relations for the department, said on Monday that Gauteng’s education department plans to cut 2800 posts, resulting in 1500 teachers losing their jobs,
Letters are expected to be given to an undetermined number of permanent teachers on Tuesday, informing them of their redundancy.
The teachers will have to apply for new posts to be created in March — what is called “rightsizing” instead of downsizing.
Accurate figures on the number of teachers affected will be available on Friday, according to Clark.
Any permanent teachers let go will join the 3665 temporary teachers whose contracts expire in March and apply for the 4960 new posts in the “rightsized” department.