‘Teachers For Change’ React To VP Darboe’s Ultimatum

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Teachers for Change

By Yankuba Jallow

Following their meeting with vice president of the Gambia, Teachers for Change members have insisted on their sit down strike, saying that no threat will stop them from demanding for their rights.

They formed a task force dubbed ‘Teachers for Change’ who on Tuesday have met the Vice President of the Gambia, Ousainou ANM Darboe who called them to his office for a dialogue.

According to the task force, the Vice President had asked them to return to their posts on or before the 28th September 2018 (today) and any teacher who fails to report to work will have his/her service terminated and be replaced by retired teachers.

The task force yesterday alongside their colleagues from the Network of Mission Teachers led a mega meeting were hundreds of teachers met to discuss what to do.

At the meeting, all the teachers agreed that the strike will continue and that no form of threat or intimidation that may come up from the authorities or the government will make them surrender.

The taskforce for TFC is seeking a redress on the following:

The increment of salaries, the increment of double-shift allowances to 100%, issuing of ID cards to all Teachers, end to the delay of payment of allowances, teacher trainees posted at hardship zone to benefit from hardship allowances.

Moreover, the task force demands the payment of provincial allowances to commensurate the transport allowance recently increased with drawback from January 2018.

Efforts to get the views of the Gambia Teachers Union has so far been unsuccessful.