MEDIA STATEMENT
SADTU Condemns Premature Termination of Temporary Educators Ahead of Conversions Under Collective Agreement 2 of 2024
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union in the North West (SADTU NW) strongly condemns and rejects the Department of Education’s intention to terminate the contracts of temporary educators before fully implementing Collective Agreement 2 of 2024, which provides for the conversion of qualifying temporary educators into permanent posts.
Collective Agreement 2 of 2024 is a binding ELRC agreement aimed at promoting stability, fairness, and continuity in the education system. The Union views any move to terminate contracts prior to the completion of the conversion process as unlawful, premature, and a direct violation of the spirit and letter of the agreement.
Such actions by the Department:
- Undermine legally concluded collective bargaining processes.
- Destabilise teaching and learning, particularly in schools already facing acute staffing shortages.
- Create undue anxiety and insecurity among educators who have dedicated themselves to serving learners, often in under-resourced and rural schools.
- Compromise the quality of education at a critical time in the academic calendar.
SADTU reiterates its position that no temporary educator’s contract should be terminated until:
- All qualifying educators have been identified and verified,
- The conversion into permanent posts has been completed in line with the agreed-upon criteria, and
- Measures are in place to avoid disruption to teaching and learning.
Should the Department proceed with these premature terminations, SADTU will have no option but to invoke all organisational, legal, and ELRC dispute-resolution mechanisms at its disposal. The Union is prepared to mobilise its members across the province to defend their rights, protect job security and uphold the integrity of collective bargaining.
The Union calls on the Department to honour its commitments and to act in good faith by fully implementing Collective Agreement 2 of 2024 without further delay.
Stability in our schools and the very well-being of educators must remain central to decisions affecting the sector.
ISSUED BY Provincial Secretariat