Pay cuts frustrating: president

National

By SAMUEL BARIASI
PAPUA New Guinea Teachers’ Association (PNGTA) is frustrated over continuous and poor explanations of cuts in teachers’ salaries over the years, including the last pay date, president Aita Senengkepe says.
He assured teachers around the country that PNGTA stood behind them in ensuring that their concerns were heard.
“We had pay cuts last year and the year before around this time of the year and we do not know who to blame,” PNGTA officials said in a meeting on Friday.
Senengkepe said a lot of teachers lived in remote parts of the country and would need clear explanations about their pay cuts.
Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra said there were not unauthorised pay cuts for teachers and public servants’ pay (pay 15) last week.
“The implementation of the 2019 Consumer Price Index (CPI) for teachers ceased on Pay 14. The 2019 pay back which consisted of two fortnights’ back pay was spread over 12 fortnights starting on Pay 2 this year,” he said.
Kombra said while many teachers were put off pay on April 10 (pay 8) as part of the annual auto suspension exercise, the Finance Department continued to pay the CPI payments for 2019.
“These payments have ceased as of pay 14 and teachers should be getting their normal pays from the coming fortnight onwards.
“Teachers are hereby asked to contact their provincial salary offices should they have any further queries. Teachers are also asked to register for the My PaySlip App in order to get the details of their salaries.”
Meanwhile, Senengkepe said PNGTA staff in Port Moresby who had been missing from work for over two months had to return to work before the end of the week were put off pay. PNGTA national management committee members made the decision in a meeting on Friday.
Senengkepe said his office had been hiring casual staff for the last two months in place of the 17 employees who had been missing work since he took office.
“They have been on pay all this time without turning up for work but they will not be paid in the next payday if they do not show up by the end of next week.”

One thought on “Pay cuts frustrating: president

  • Teachers need to get it into their heads just how irrelevant they are. Politicians are the most important people in this country and it is they who deserve the lion’s share of money in the government coffers. Teachers must realise that, after paying pollies their deserved million kina plus salaries, allowances and perks, there is little left for inconsequential roles like teachers, doctors, nurses, etc.

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