The Sierra Leone Teachers Union, the umbrella body for teachers, has in the last few weeks been working with the Ministry of Labour, Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education around properly constituting the Teaching Service Trade Group Negotiating Council(TSTGNC)with a view to commence negotiations on new terms and conditions of service for teachers.
The Teaching Service Trade Group Negotiating Council (TSTGNC), which consists of members of the SLTU and other relevant Government Ministries and Agencies, is expected to meet very soon and elect within its ranks a Chairman and Secretary and move towards commencing negotiations over new conditions of service for teachers.
A very credible source at the SLTU has intimated the nightwatch that they, as a union, have been able to confer with their membership across the country through the established structures and have agreed on an amount of over four (4) million leones as take home pay for every teacher in Sierra Leone.
Our source has further disclosed that they have taken a number of economic realities into play in arriving at this amount, including pegging each teacher’s family household to a minimal of four dependents. He noted that the proposed Le4 million leones is expected to take care of feeding, clothing, medical and wardrobe, amongst others.
Authorities at the SLTU are hopeful that they will be able to make a breakthrough in their negotiations with government, especially so when the government is having education as a flagship project and teachers stand very critical to making the aspect of quality possible.
The Union is noted for having come very hard on government just after the announcement of the FY 2019 budget, where they expressed dissatisfaction over the allocation of 10% to the salaries of teachers and other civil servants. They were alsovery concerned that government should expedite the negotiation’s process and bring this issue to rest once and for all.
Teachers, across the country, are very hopeful that their conditions of service will be given due attention by the government this time round.