Pandor surprised by SADTU's rejection of pay increases

By Anele Siwa
23 October 2007

The South African Democratic Teachers Union’s rejection of the occupation-specific dispensation comes as a surprise and a disappointment to the Minister of Education Naledi Pandor, her department has announced.

"Speaking from Paris where she is attending the 34th general conference of UNESCO the minister said that the rejection of the occupation-specific dispensation is surprising especially given that our intention is to improve the remuneration levels of teachers. It is a disappointment and a setback for the education (department). There is nothing vague in government’s undertaking to improve the salaries of teachers," the minister's spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele says.

Ngqengelele adds that SADTU has promised a counter-proposal.

“The minister eagerly awaits the document, but points out that it would be impossible to accept the 4.5% general increase across the board that SADTU demands,” says Ngqengelele.

The occupation-specific dispensation is a revised salary structure that is unique to each identified occupation in the public service. Currently, employees in the public sector are all part of the same salary structure.

Ngqenelele adds that the occupation-specific dispensation recognizes that there was little or no salary progression for teachers in the period of 1996 to 2003 and compensates for this in the new salary structures, the proposed implementation of which is in January 2008.