Striking teachers' salaries to be docked

TEACHERS countrywide will have their salaries docked this month for taking part in last year's public servants strike

KwaZulu-Natal teachers, who get paid today, will have an undisclosed amount of money deducted for each day they were on strike last year.

Department of Basic Education spokesperson Granville Whittle confirmed that the deductions would be effected this month.

He said teachers in KwaZulu-Natal who get paid today would be affected - and could expect the same until April.

"It was agreed that the deductions would be done over three months. A salary deduction of four days will be made per month," Whittle said.

Though teacher unions said they did not know how the department would implement the deductions and had no idea how much was to be deducted and for how many days, they confirmed that the deductions would be effected from this month.

Sadtu deputy secretary Nkosana Dolopi said yesterday they were aware that teachers' salaries would be docked this month.

"We know the deductions are going to be effective as agreed for three months - February, March and April."

But the National Teachers Union said it was unhappy with the department's "blanket" approach of docking salaries.

"The department has failed to come up with criteria of how it is going ensure that it only docks salaries of employees who took part in the strike," Natu said.

National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA's Anthony Pierce said during meetings with the department, they had offered to produce attendance registers to establish those who were on duty and those who were on strike.

"We see this as being unfair because there are teachers who were not at school but were on leave over the strike period."