By Buddhika Samaraweera
A meeting, scheduled to be held between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and representatives of the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions at Temple Trees today (11), has been postponed indefinitely, according to the teachers’ trade unions.
The meeting was to be held to discuss the issues in the education sector, including teacher-principal salary anomaly, and according to the unions, the postponement has been made without providing any reasons.
The meeting was arranged following a request made by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Leader and MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who asked whether it was possible to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister and trade unions to discuss the proposals to be announced through the Budget scheduled to be presented next month. Dissanayake said that arranging such a meeting and informing the trade unions about the solutions before the budget could help them withdraw from their TU action and resume teaching activities. “TUs can also propose their amendments if they are not in agreement with the proposals,” he said.
During a media briefing held yesterday (10), the Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) expressed its displeasure over the postponement of this discussion.
CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that the Government is creating uncertainty about the future of the millions of students by postponing the provision of solutions of teachers’ and principals’ issues, despite nearly 100 days having passed since the series of trade union actions initiated by teachers and principals.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning yesterday, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) President Priyantha Fernando said that the trade unions were ready to accept the approximately 40% salary increase recommended by the Cabinet subcommittee, which was recently appointed to look into the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. However, he said that if the Government is to provide it in installments, they would not agree to it.
“The Cabinet subcommittee has recommended a salary increase of approximately 40% for teachers and principals as a solution to the salary anomaly issue. Accordingly, we are ready to accept it, but it should be given at once. However, it should not be the final solution for this issue. As the final solution, the recommendations made by the ‘Subodhini’ Committee or a similar recommendation with regard to the salary anomaly issue should be implemented by the Government,” he said.
Nearly 30 teachers’ and principals’ trade unions have embarked on a series of trade union actions, demanding a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, the provision of facilities for teachers and students to carry out online education activities, and several other issues since 12 July 2021.
The trade unions have withdrawn from all online teaching activities and duties related to sending applications for examinations, including the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) examination, online. They have also withdrawn from teaching activities at regional learning centres recently established by the Education Ministry. Also, teachers and principals have withdrawn from practical examination duties of the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination and have further warned that they would not attend the duties related to the GCE A/L and Grade Five Scholarship examinations that were to be held in November 2021.
PM postpones meeting with teachers
10 Oct 2021
PM postpones meeting with teachers
10 Oct 2021
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