By Ralph Sesay
The President of the Sierra Leone Teachers Union, M.S.Bangura, have damned a group of teachers, dubbed Voice of Teachers, over claims that they have secured a certificate to exist as a second group or organization representing the voice of teachers’ views in the country.
He also referred to claims by the Voice of Teachers that they have been recognized by the Government to participate in the negotiations on the improved conditions for teachers as a big lie.
Mr. Bangura disclosed that they have started preliminary negotiations with Government and at the moment they are setting up the normal structures to commence the negotiations. Hence this is done the SLTU will negotiate with Government, a negotiation that will lead to the securing of appreciable terms and conditions for teachers across the country.
He referred to Voice of Teachers as legitimate members of the SLTU, but that they are no match for the current executive of the SLTU.
“They are merely providing comic relief to teachers as they parade from one media house to another. The SLTU is not concerned and worried about their existence,” the SLTU prexy emphasized.
“They are our members and we are willing to talk to them around issues affecting them as teachers. But we are not worried or perturbed about their existence. SLTU remains a formidable group that is recognized by government and concerned about the welfare of teachers,” Mr. Bangura noted.
It will be recalled that Minkailu Kanu, the National Coordinator for the Voice of Teachers, has earlier stated, in an interview with nightwatch, that they have succeeded in registering the Voice of Teachers as a second group to represent the voiceless teachers. According to him, it is mainly because they have lost faith in the SLTU.
The teaching profession, he went on, has become synonymous with poverty, adding that teachers do not deserve to be beggars as it is presently the case.
The national coordinator stated that they have secured full certification to operate as a teacher union group, even though he failed to disclose what institutions have certified them.
He concluded by disclosing that they are fully recognized by the Ministry of Education and have been asked to participate in the current negotiations over the new conditions of service for teachers.
This claim was however refuted by the SLTU, which had a very fruitful preliminary meeting yesterday with the Ministry of Education officials at New England in Freetown. The meeting was geared towards establishing the Teaching Negotiating Trade Council.