The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) notes with dismay the minor disruptions of schooling in Soweto today 22 October 2009, resulting from the call by the South African Democratic Teachers’ Association (SADTU) central region to hold a meeting on salary deductions during school hours.
This meeting went ahead despite the agreement which was reached between the Gauteng Education Department and the provincial leadership of SADTU yesterday regarding processes that need to be followed to ensure that the letter and the spirit of the agreement around the deductions pertaining to the 2007 strike are followed. This agreement noted firstly that deductions were supposed to have been affected over a six month period.
Secondly where cases of hardship exist, or where educators were notified of impending deductions, where they had not been on strike, an appeal process exists to deal with these cases.
This appeal process was yesterday extended to 30 November as it was brought to our attention that all those who still needed to register as hardship cases had not yet done so. This means that deductions will be delayed until February 2010. Fourthly by implication, those deductions which had already been affected will be reversed so that the process is implemented properly.
We therefore believe that there is no basis for the planned actions by SADTU central region as the issues around which they are planning to mobilize have already been resolved.
We want to thank the many thousands of Johannesburg educators who remained at their posts today and put the interests of learners and matriculants in particular first.
We want to reiterate our commitment as the Gauteng Provincial Government to ensure that schooling continues normally for the remainder of the academic year. We urge all parents, learners and School Governing Bodies (SGB) to support us in ensuring that the constitutional right of learners to learn is protected.
For more information contact:
Nanagolo Leopeng
Cell: 083 450 2872
Tel: 011 355 0414
Issued by: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Government
23 October 2009
Source: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Government
(http://www.education.gpg.gov.za/)
