DESPITE a call from a teachers’ union at national level to embark on a go-slow as from today, its Eastern Cape counterpart said teachers had reported to classrooms as usual yesterday .
According to South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) provincial secretary Mncekeleli Ndongeni, Eastern Cape teachers had not joined the go-slow.
Instead the leadership was locked in meetings to try to map a way forward.
Ndongeni said teachers were expected to report to work as normal yesterday .
The call for the go-slow was issued by the union nationally to all teachers affiliated with the union and was to begin on the first day of the new school term at both inland and coastal schools.
The union is demanding a 6.8% salary increase for exam markers and the resignation of both Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director-general Bobby Soobrayan.
Union general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said teachers would not work outside standard teaching hours and would not mark the matric supplementary exams written in February.
They would report to schools only to teach, and would not perform extra duties, such as marking, hosting departmental visits or attending workshops.
Maluleke said the Department of Education had not honoured its 2011 agreement to give exam markers a 6.8% salary increase.
In 2011, the department and teachers agreed on the markers’ increase. But in May last year the department declared a dispute over the 2011 increase, saying the director-general, Soobrayan, had signed the agreement without following due process.
A temporary agreement was reached, but the dispute has not been settled.
When contacted for comment, Basic Education spokesman Panyaza Lesufi refused to comment on the matter.
Provincial education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said they had not yet been notified of the impending strike action .
“For now we are still treating it as hearsay until we get written notification from Sadtu ,” Pulumani said. — /Additional reporting by Sapa
EC teachers in class despite go-slow call
According to South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) provincial secretary Mncekeleli Ndongeni, Eastern Cape teachers had not joined the go-slow.
Instead the leadership was locked in meetings to try to map a way forward.
Ndongeni said teachers were expected to report to work as normal yesterday .
The call for the go-slow was issued by the union nationally to all teachers affiliated with the union and was to begin on the first day of the new school term at both inland and coastal schools.
The union is demanding a 6.8% salary increase for exam markers and the resignation of both Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her director-general Bobby Soobrayan.
Union general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said teachers would not work outside standard teaching hours and would not mark the matric supplementary exams written in February.
They would report to schools only to teach, and would not perform extra duties, such as marking, hosting departmental visits or attending workshops.
Maluleke said the Department of Education had not honoured its 2011 agreement to give exam markers a 6.8% salary increase.
In 2011, the department and teachers agreed on the markers’ increase. But in May last year the department declared a dispute over the 2011 increase, saying the director-general, Soobrayan, had signed the agreement without following due process.
A temporary agreement was reached, but the dispute has not been settled.
When contacted for comment, Basic Education spokesman Panyaza Lesufi refused to comment on the matter.
Provincial education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said they had not yet been notified of the impending strike action .
“For now we are still treating it as hearsay until we get written notification from Sadtu ,” Pulumani said. — /Additional reporting by Sapa
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