Teachers’ Trade Unions submit proposals to Special Commission Reviewing Public Sector Salaries
View(s):Teachers’ Trade Unions (TTU) jointly submitted proposals to the Special Commission to Review Salary Structure of State Sector Employees, appointed last month by President Maithripala Sirisena.
Ceylon Teachers Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that 6 TTUs collectively handed over their proposals requesting salaries for their service be reviewed separately, so that, they could receive their long due salary increases, without affecting salary increases to other sectors.
He said that, the then government, in keeping with the B.C. Perera Salary Commission, said teaching is were a highly paid profession. Following this, by Circular 2/97 (III), salaries of all teachers were brought down, with a clause it would be reviewed soon.
In 2006, in another Salaries and Cadre Commission (Lionel Mathews and Saliya Fernando Commission) to review Public sector salary cadre, the Principals and Teachers salaries were not reviewed.
Following this, State schools’ Teachers and Principals walked out on the paper marking of Advanced Level schools. However, on a Supreme Court (SC) ruling the teachers returned to work, as it infringed on the human rights of students. The SC also ordered to give the sector increments, with a 1 year extra increment, which has been ignored.
In 2008 March, a salary proposal put forward by the then Minister Susil Premajayanth to the Cabinet was ignored. The TTUs said that, from 1997 to date, nothing has been done regarding their salary anomaly and demand their salaries be reviewed.
They said the Government has dragged on for too long and, if the trend continues, the TTUs will have to resort to TU action. “We will go on strikes demanding our rights,” Mr Stalin said. - CC