The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) is to boycott a pay agreement signing ceremony with Minister of Education Naledi Pandor scheduled for Thursday.
”There is nothing wrong with the agreements; in fact, they are good for teachers and good for education,” the union said in a statement.
However, it blames the Department of Education for delaying the signing of the agreements.
The four teachers’ unions apparently already signed the agreement on March 16 and Thursday’s signing is a formality.
”What concerns us is that the delay in signing from the side of the employer means that implementation of these urgently awaited agreements is also then delayed,” the union said.
Sadtu said it cannot sit down with Pandor while it is in dispute over the Integrated Quality Management System and the 1% pay progression for 2005 that remains unresolved.
The South African Teachers’ Union, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa and the National Teachers’ Union will sign the agreements, said departmental spokesperson Tommy Makhode.
Sadtu is the largest union in the public service, representing nearly two-thirds of teachers with a membership of 230 000.
The first agreement refers to the grading of educational institutions, which will result in improved salaries for some principals. The second agreement is on career pathing and provides for accelerated pay progression for teachers.
”We believe these agreements will help rebuild teacher morale and contribute to improving the quality of education,” Sadtu said.
Makhode would not immediately comment on Sadtu’s remarks. — Sapa