Ntsebeng Motsoeli
GOVERNMENT school teachers this week embarked onto their country-wide strike to push their employer to address their long-standing demands for salary increments and improved working conditions.
The strike comes in defiance of the government’s overtures last week for the teachers to drop the industrial action after it appointed a ministerial committee to talk them out of the strike.
The government’s move came after three teachers’ unions, namely the Lesotho Teacher’s Association (LAT), Lesotho Teachers Trade Union (LTTU) and Lesotho Schools Principals Association (LeSPA, obtained the Directorate of Disputes Prevention and Resolution (DDPR’s) permission to strike.
The DDPR had initially declined to issue the certificate on the grounds that unions constituted a minority of the country’s teachers and therefore could not engage in a strike.
But Labour Court judge, Justice Keketso Moahloli, ruled that the unions had the right to strike. Justice Moahloli ruled that the DDPR had no power to determine whether or not the teachers could strike and sent them back to the DDPR to complete the process which would clear them to proceed with the industrial action.
In the aftermath of the Labour Court ruling, members of the unions gathered at the at the Moshoeshoe 1 monument in Maseru where they were addressed by one of their leaders, Letsatsi Ntsibolane, who said there was “no going back on the strike”.
And on Monday, the teachers made good on their threat of their industrial action which they say will last for a year. Many learners remained in their homes while others who tried their luck were sent back indefinitely.
The Lesotho Times crew toured several schools in the Maseru rural and urban schools and witnessed that most of them had been closed.
Learners at the Nyakosoba Primary School were sent home in the morning on Monday as teachers did not report for duty. When the news crew passed through the school later on the day, the one teacher who was said to had only come to school to dismiss the children had also left.
At Roma Primary School, learners did not bother to go to school while all the teachers also stayed away.
Schools in Maseru urban such as Lesotho High School, Leqele Combined Schools, Life High School, St Joseph High School, St James High School (Maseru), Maseru Day High School, Maseru High School, ‘Mabathoana High School among others were all closed. There was no teaching in many primary schools.
Apart from salary increments, the teachers also want the government to hold regular training sessions to recruit teachers in the recently introduced integrated curriculum. They also demand the supply of teaching material and text books for learners.
They also want the government to reinstate the Lesotho Teachers’ Association (LAT) Chairperson, Letsatsi Ntsibolane who was fired from his teaching duties at Lithabaneng High School in Maseru. Mr Ntsibolane was on 30 January this year fired for neglecting performing his duties by announcing an illegal teachers’ strike and absenting himself on the days of the illegal strike.
Mr Ntsibolane was also accused of illegally engaging on different occasions one Palesa Maapesa, Nthati Mabooe and Teboho Pheane to stand in and perform his teaching duties while he was absent from school (work).
The teachers said they would down tools for three weeks and teach learners only for one week in a month until their grievances were addressed. They said the cycle would continue for a year unless the government yielded to their demands.
Last week the government moved to avert the strike and set up a special cabinet committee to help the Minister of Education and Training, Professor Ntoi Rapapa to address the teachers’ complaints which include demands for the government to pay them salary arrears on their performance-based contracts dating back to 2009.
The committee is chaired by the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Thesele ‘Maseribane. Other members of the committee are Prof Rapapa; Public Service Minister, Semano Sekatle; Defence Minister, Tefo Mapesela; Minister of Energy, Tsukutlane Au, Minister of Finance, Moeketsi Majoro and the Minister of Home Affairs, Mokoto Hloaele.
In a frantic move to block the strike, the government also launched an appeal case against the DDPR’s permission for the strike.
The committee also pleaded with the teachers to abandon the strike and give the government the chance to address their issues.
However, the teachers’ unions ignored the call.
A representative of Lesotho Schools Principals’ Association (LeSPA), Tšepo Lethobane said the strike has so far been successful.
Mr Lethobane said all the teachers who were affiliates in the three teachers’ unions were on strike leaving teaching to some of their colleagues who were not members of the concerned unions.
“The strike is a success. Many schools have totally closed down while teaching is still continuing in schools where some teachers are not members of the unions. We are not bragging about the success of the strike but this just a clear message to Minister (Ntoi) Rapapa that teachers mean business now,” Mr Lethobane said.
He added that the unions’ representatives met briefly with the ministerial committee yesterday to discuss the teachers’ terms to be met before they can engage in negotiations.
“We want the government to withdraw the court cases they have opened against teachers’ unions, to reverse the dismissal of Comrade Ntsibolane, to fast-track the structural adjustments on teacher’s salaries and to commit to an additional 8 percent salary increment on top of whatever they would have decided to give us as the all-encompassing increment. This is because the structural adjustment is already 10 years late. It was last done in 2009 and was supposed to happen every five years,” Mr Lethobane said.
Efforts to get a comment from Prof Rapapa and the ministerial committee were fruitless yesterday while a press conference which was schedule for yesterday was cancelled on the 11th hour.
