Teacher unions in conflict

In response to the Daily News article by Willem Phungula titled, Teacher unions at each other’s throats over member poaching.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union’s (Nehawu) decision to embark on a recruitment drive to poach teachers to its ranks could pit it against fellow alliance partner, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).

It is unfortunate that Nehawu's actions are seen as poaching, while Sadtu is not addressing teachers suffering. Sadtu is sleeping in bed with the employer particular in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.

In fact, Sadtu has become an employer because it decides for the department on all crucial aspects of teachers especially on teachers posts.

Funding in KZN schools has been a problem for decades and Sadtu is mum about it. The union is only trying to make an effort to talk to the department when the principals grumble otherwise it is not doing anything to assist schools.

I believe Nehawu can assist schools better than Sadtu. In fact Sadtu is toothless and dead. The sooner teachers realized that the better for their affairs.

Sadtu’s top leadership in KZN is occupying principals posts and are being paid huge salaries while they are not in schools as principals. The leadership is also benefiting from members contributions as union office bearers.

For that reason the department is paying two salaries for one principal post because there is a person acting on the post while the actual appointed principal is an office bearer for the union.

That adds to the ballooning teachers salaries. Sadtu has betrayed teachers. Let Nehawu rescues teachers.

ANONYMOUS | Durban

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL.

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