A 6000 strong group, known as the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers, has issued an ultimatum to the government over long-standing unpaid salaries and arrears. They are threatening legal action and large scale street protests if their demands are not met.
The Teachers, who have worked for more than a year, have reportedly been paid only two months’ salary. The group claim that the delay has pushed many of their members into financial hardship and “abject poverty.”
Part of their grievances is the failure to issue staff identification cards, which is preventing full integration into the government payroll system and hindering payment processes.
The Coalition is demanding immediate payment of all outstanding salary arrears, issuance of staff IDs for those yet to receive them before the next payroll cycle, else there will be more protests.
The group says the situation is unfair and discriminatory, noting that some teachers posted at the same time have been paid in full while others have not.
Beyond the protests, the coalition is consulting legal experts to potentially sue the state over alleged arbitrary practices and delayed entitlements. They warn that unless government and relevant authorities address their concerns swiftly, street demonstrations and other lawful actions will go ahead.
This issue follows previous protests by newly posted teachers over unpaid salaries dating back months (and sometimes over a year). Also there have been reports that government approval for payment and absorption of affected teachers was discussed by Cabinet, but the current coalition still says payments have not been fully resolved.
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