Africa-Press – Namibia. MAHONGORA Kavihuha, the secretary general of the Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN), has threatened a mass demonstration and strike if teachers do not get salary increments.
This was announced at a mass teachers’ meeting in Windhoek yesterday. Kavihuha said they have been promised increases for long, which is forcing the union to take extreme measures.
“Enough is enough. We have been patient for so long . . ,” he said.
Kavihuha said the invitation to the mass meeting was extended to all teachers regardless of the union they belong to, but the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) leadership has withdrawn.
“It is not an issue that the leadership of Nantu chose not to come, because their members came,” he said.
He said teachers are suffering, not Nantu. Kavihuha further called on all teachers to stand together and demand what they deserve. “In unity you have nothing to lose,” he said.
The union said it also aims to encourage other civil servants to take part in the planned mass demonstration and strike. Kavihuha said many teachers suffer from depression due to the government increasing taxes and the prices of commodities, without increasing their salaries.
Kelvin Maholo, one of the teachers at the meeting, said the government should consider reducing tax or increasing their salaries. “We are demanding that the government consider reducing tax if they are refusing to increase our salaries,” he said.
Maholo said teachers are often unable to afford basic necessities, such as food, and water and electricity bills. Juanita Goagoses, another teacher, said life as a teacher is hard and demotivating.
She said she is unable to take care of her children because of the little money she earns as a qualified teacher. Meanwhile, in 2016, Nantu and the government agreed to keep teachers’ salary increments at 5% for that financial year, while promising an increase of 9% for the 2017/18 financial year.
The agreement managed to put off a strike which threatened to collapse the education sector. Last year, the unions requested a 10% increment for salaries across the board, a 25% increase to qualifying amounts on housing subsidies, a 9% increase on housing allowances, a 10% increase on transport for civil servants below management level, and a N$7 per kilometre tariff increase.
In May, the unions received a counteroffer from the government, informing them of its inability to grant salary increments for the 2021/22 financial year.
“State finances are already stretched to safeguard current government expenditures, including remuneration-related expenditure to sustain critical public revenue that has significantly reduced due to a decline in the economy,” the government said.
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