3pc pay rise

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
AROUND 57,000 teachers employed by the Government will receive a 3 per cent pay increase on base salaries from January 1, 2017, while they also retain their other allowances, according to an agreement signed yesterday.
The agreement, signed by the Teaching Service Commission, PNG Teachers Association and the Personnel Management department in Port Moresby, applies to only teachers employed by the commission and teaching in schools recognised and regulated by the Education department.
The agreement is for the period from 2017 to 2019.
Commission chairman Baran Sori thanked the association and the teachers for their understanding of the touch economic situation facing the Government.
He commended the teachers for agreeing to accept “the level of pay rise the Government can afford (after) the long period of industrial collective bargaining”.
“The understanding and cooperation demonstrates that the unions and the State can work together for the interest of the people and the nation at such difficult economic times,” Sori said.
Teachers Association president Tommy Heko thanked the government for a fair decision.
“The PNGTA is grateful for the margin of the salaries and the allowances increase under the 2017-2019 MoA,” he said.
The salary increase is broken into two components:

• 1.5 per cent is the general salary increase across the board for all teachers; and,
• 1.5 percent increase is based on the average-based salaries paid as a fixed sum to teachers in Grades TS1 to TS12.

“In addition, the PNGTA is grateful that the Government has retained other teacher allowances, including the teaching service allowances (of 10 per cent),” Heko said.
He also thanked the Government for maintaining the teachers’ pay structure enjoyed under the 2014-2016 agreement.