By Yankuba Jallow
Gambian teachers have been receiving conflicting messages from teachers’ association/unions. While the established Gambia Teachers Union is urging teachers to report to school when school reopens, the Network of Mission Teachers (NMT) on Saturday the 15 September 2018 agreed to unite with the Teachers for Change (TFC) to embark on an indefinite sit-down strike that will be effected today.
Representatives from the TFC attended the meeting organised by NMT at Saint Charles Lower Basic School to work a way forward in order to amalgamate the associations. These two organisations emerged recently when they were displeased with the manner in which the GTU is handling the demands of teachers.
The taskforce for TFC is seeking a redress on the following:
Increment of salaries, increment of double-shift allowances to 100%, issuing of ID cards to all Teachers, end to delay of payment of allowances, teacher trainees posted at hardship zone to benefit from hardship allowances.
The taskforce further demands the payment of provincial allowances to commensurate the transport allowance recently increased with drawback from January 2018.
In his opening statement, the Secretary General NMT, urged the teachers to unite and fight for their common interest.
“Government teachers are slapped once but we (mission teachers) are slapped twice,” he said.
For his part, the chairperson of NMT said: I and my executives are ready to amalgamate with the Teachers for Change. We want to work together to see that the teachers are respected”.
The chairperson expressed dissatisfaction over the Gambia Teachers Union and SESCO.
“We have been deducted for savings for four months and the money deducted from us is not going into our accounts. We want to know where that money is,” he said.
Mr. Manga encouraged teachers to stand firm and strongly demand for what is rightfully theirs.
“Let us be strong and fight for what is rightfully ours. My Father was a farmer and he was able to pay my school so if anyone decides to stop my salary because I am claiming what belongs to me, then I can return to my father’s profession,” he said.
Mr. Alhassan Ceesay explained a variety of issues that needs to be in place in the teaching profession.
“If teachers around the world can unite and fight a common course, then it’s easy for teachers of the Gambia to unite and demand what is rightfully ours because Gambia is relatively small and we can filter the truth to every teacher for the length and breadth of the country,” he said.
The secretary General of the TFC taskforce Abdoulie Jallow in his statement expressed the need for unity among teachers and assured members that all the problems highlighted can be solved if teachers are ready to stand for themselves.
Mr. Jallow urged members to fully observe the September strike.
“To tell you the fact, the strike is not our choice. It’s a final option and we have no other choice. I want to assure all of you that the upcoming strike will be history and I have no doubt that never will authorities underestimate the efforts of teachers in national development after this. This will be the most effective sit-down strike that ever happened in this country,” he said.
The Secretary General of the taskforce Mr. Jallow took up the stage once again: “We do not expect everyone to support our move. We must have people working against us so that we can’t be able to see the success of our struggle. People have different opinions and as people fighting for change, we should be strengthened by those opposing opinions and focus on our struggle,” he said.
Contrary to the TFC the GTU has advised its members that no further industrial action is required now due to the action taken by government. GTU has therefore advised its members to report to their school of posting when the academic year commences.
The GTU has indicated that the following steps taken by the government has made the strike action unwarranted:
- That the Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance has conveyed approval to the Accountant General for the increment of ‘’the Residential and Provincial Allowance for school teachers. Approval has therefore been granted to increase Provincial Allowance from 12.5% to 20% and also from 15% to 23% respectively” beginning SEPTEMBER 2018 accompanied by arrears from July 2018 referenced EMC 252/114/01/80 BMC date 4th September 2018;
- That payment of School Improvement Grant (SIG) 2017/18 Third Term Arrears for Lower Basic and Upper Basic Schools totalling D10,272,676.00 has been approved by MoBSE and currently being processed by Treasury for payment at the end of September 2018;
That the 2018 Graduates from the Gambia College have been formally interviewed for appointment in the Civil Service on Thursday 6th September 2018 during which the GTU was adequately represented.
