Teacher unions vow to step-up TU action if no solution today

Teacher trade unions have vowed to step-up trade union action if a solution to their demand of clearing the salary anomalies is not provided at the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held today (30).

Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that they will be keeping away from duties of receiving text books at schools as well, as part of the trade union action.

The book distribution by the Education Ministry has already commenced.

However, he said teachers may commence online teaching and engage in examination duties depending on the decision at today's Cabinet meeting.

“Unions representatives met the newly appointed Education Minister Dinesh Gunewardena last week and expressed our concerns and suggestions to the proposals made by the Cabinet sub-committee on teacher salary anomalies and requested the Minister to highlight them at the Cabinet meeting,” he said. 

Mr. Stalin said the initial proposal by the sub-committee suggested salary increases stated in a 2018 report by the Education Ministry on salary anomalies and allocations be made in the year 2022 budget.

“This suggestion is acceptable only if the 2018 year report is made a part of the Subodhini Committee report that has a comprehensive solution to the salary anomalies. The Subodhini report suggests salary increments that should be given to each grade. We need the assurance that the anomaly issue is fully addressed. Then paying even in installments due to the financial crisis is acceptable,” he said. 

He said teachers and principals are happy about the decision by the sub-committee to merge the teacher, principal, education administration services as a closed service.

“We explained to Minister Gunewardena that it should be immediately implemented in a circular”, Mr. Stalin added.

Government school teachers have stayed away from online teaching for close to one and a half months. Apart from boycotting online teaching, teachers and principals threaten to stay away from this year's Advanced Level examination application process, last year's Ordinary Level practical examination and the Scholarship and A/L examinations scheduled to be held in November and December this year.

The Cabinet sub-committee appointed to resolve the teachers’ salary issue consisting of Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Dullas Alahapperuma, Prasanna Ranatunga and Wimal Weerawansa met with union representatives and obtained their views on how to resolve the 24-year-old salary anomaly issue.

Though the Committee was to submit a report last week including recommendations, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Alahapperuma announced that submission of the final report has been postponed by another week, as the committee needs to further discuss matters with the Finance Ministry and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Meanwhile more than four million students have been deprived of their rightful education due to the ongoing trade union action by the teachers/principals.