Durban - The South African Democratic Teachers Union in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday accused the province's education department of failing to pay Grade R teachers and matric exam markers.
In addition, the union, at a press briefing in Durban, accused the department of appointing senior personnel to non-existent posts. Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said that the department had agreed to pay Grade R teachers R5 500 a month from April, but that the increase had never been paid.
She said the head of the provincial education department, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, then promised that the teachers would be paid R1 500 of their increase by Christmas Eve.
“KwaZulu-Natal Education Department remains the worst employer. They [Grade R] teachers are an important segment. They are not a creche. They are not babysitters.”
Caluza said Sadtu had accepted the lesser amount of R1 500 as it understood that the department had budgetary constraints.
She said the union had given the department five days to pay the outstanding salary increment to Grade R teachers. She said its failure to pay meant negotiations had been conducted in bad faith.
She further said that the union was aware that 500 matric exam markers in the province had not been paid.
She accused the department of appointing two directors of legal services when the department's own organogram stated there was only one such post in the department.
She said that not only should the head of department explain the appointments, but the education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni should show how she authorised the appointment.
“Why and how did she approve an appointment that is non-existent?”
She said that if markers and Grade R teachers were not paid the union would stage a protest outside Durban's International Convention Centre where the province's matric results are expected to be announced on January 6.
ANA