SADTU NW Calls for Immediate Payment of Temporary Educators and Acting Allowances
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) North West expresses serious concern and dissatisfaction over the continued non-payment of temporary educators and the delays in the payment of acting allowances across districts.
It is unacceptable that educators who are fully in class, teaching and carrying the responsibility of shaping the future of our learners, are subjected to financial distress due to administrative inefficiencies.
Some of the temporary educators have in some instances gone for two (2) months without receiving their salaries. These delays:
• Undermine morale in schools.
• Compromise teaching and learning.
• Place educators and their families under severe financial strain.
• Violate basic labour and contractual obligations.
Educators cannot be expected to report for duty without compensation. This situation amounts to exploitation of committed professionals who continue to serve despite not being paid.
Similarly, the failure to pay acting allowances to educators and office-based educators who are performing additional responsibilities such as acting as Principals, Deputy Principals, Department Heads, circuit managers, specialists, etc is equally concerning.
These educators:
• Carry higher levels of accountability.
• Perform managerial and administrative functions.
• Ensure stability in schools.
It is unjust for the employer to benefit from their service while delaying rightful compensation.
SADTU therefore calls on the Department of Education to:
1. Effect immediate payment of all outstanding salaries of temporary educators.
2. Process and pay all outstanding acting allowances without further delay.
3. Implement sustainable administrative systems to prevent recurrence.
If these matters are not resolved urgently, SADTU will have no option but to consider all organisational and legal avenues to protect its members.
Educators are not volunteers. They are professionals whose labour must be respected and remunerated on time.
SADTU remains committed to defending the rights, dignity, and working conditions of all educators and will continue to engage the employer with urgency on this matter.
ISSUED BY Provincial Secretariat