The Education Department confirmed on Monday that over 100 000 teachers who participated in a public servants’ strike last year will lose pay.
”The universal principle of no work, no pay is being applied,” said department spokesperson Tommy Makhode.
He denied news reports that non-striking teachers had also been penalised. He said the deductions were based on attendance registers submitted by school principals.
Makhode said money had already been deducted from teachers in the Free State and Northern Cape under the Labour Relations Act.
The rest of the provinces were expected to complete their own process by the end of the financial year on March 31.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said that while it did not object to the deduction, it was concerned that there was no consistency on which pay scale was being used, following the recent signing and partial implementation of a one percent pay progression agreement.
”If they felt that for those two days we withdrew our labour, they must be consistent and fair,” said Sadtu Gauteng chairperson Sello Tshabalala said.
The Democratic Nurses Union of SA (Denosa) confirmed that some of its members had also been penalised.
”Not that many nurses participated due to the Labour Relations Act stipulation on essential services, but in isolated cases there were nurses who made the sacrifice and the law allows employers to [deduct pay] if labour is withdrawn. We are still awaiting a report on how many are affected,” said Denosa general secretary Freddie Mohai.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union was also polling its members to find out if any had been affected.
Hundreds of thousands of public servants took to the streets for two days last year to have a seven percent pay hike demand and certain benefits met. Public Service Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi was booed off a stage at the Union Buildings when she announced the no-work no pay principle but many strikers interviewed had said that they were prepared to make the sacrifice to achieve their goal.
The dispute was settled with a 6,2% pay rise. – Sapa