Minister says no cut to teachers’ salaries

THERE is no cut to the salaries of teachers as claimed by their association, says Public Service Minister Westly Nukundj.
He reiterated what Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra stated last week that the decrease in the wages of some teachers was because of the 3 per cent pay rise adjustment over the past two years which has ended.
He said the 3 per cent pay rise was from the three-year industrial agreement between the teachers’ association and the state.
The three per cent pay rise in 2017, 2018 and 2019 had to be implemented in phases because of the cash flow issue faced by the government.
“The schedule was to pay two fortnights’ back pay every pay day on top of the normal salary which commenced in April 2019,” he said.
He said this was announced through the media and the Teaching Service Commission.
“This small increase is not a permanent salary rise. Therefore in pay period 21 of 2019, the 3 per cent pay rise for 2018 back pay instalments ceased. Normal pay resumed on pay period 22 of 2019 with a smaller pay rise increments. Teachers mistook the drop in their respective pay as a cut.”
He said the Personnel Management Department was consulting the Finance Department to restart the back-pay component of 2019 in the next pay period. The scheduled instalments will end on Pay 16 of 2020.