It's not fair for teachers to resort to TU action

by Ananda Kannangara

The Sunday Observer last week interviewed parents, teachers, students and the public on the commencing of the Advanced Level answer scripts evaluation process after a lapse of four weeks. Some of them highly admired it, while others condemned the decision taken by teachers to keep away from paper marking. Here are the excerpts.

Former Education Minister, now Chief Minister, Western Province, Reginald Cooray was of the opinion that schoolteachers in our country enjoy more benefits than in any other teachers in the region and therefore it was not fair for them to take trade union actions and stop paper marking answer scripts.

"As you are aware, our teachers are entitled to long vacations and no restrictions have also been imposed by the Education Ministry for them to indulge in private tuition."

He said in addition, married female teachers are given 85 days maternity leave with full pay, another 85 days with half pay and another 85 days no-pay leave to look after their infants.

Educationist Rupa Amarasinghe is very happy over the decision taken by teachers to evaluate the Advanced Level Examination answer scripts even after a few weeks following their trade union action. "However the Government must also appreciate their work considering the invaluable service rendered to the country."

As a former principal in a grade one school Mrs. Amarasinghe also requested the Education Ministry to rectify the longstanding salary anomalies of teachers and solve the present crisis.

"I am well aware, some teachers have not been given even their normal grades for several years."

She further said some teachers who are transferred to remote villages, face immense difficulties due to lack of proper places to live; they are not even paid special allowances for working in remote areas.

Malki Perera of Wellawatta thanked all the teachers who gave up their trade union action and started marking answer scripts for the sake of students in the country.

"As a father of three, I must tell the authorities that the members of these so-called teacher unions gave up their trade union action following a decision given by the Supreme Court and this shows that they had gone for work due to fear."

"Therefore I request the authorities to look into their grievances and solve their salary anomalies, so that, our children can expect a much better service from them in the future."

A mercantile sector employee Danushka Nayanapriya expressed a divergent view and said that in our country teachers are not recognised well when compared to those in countries such as Canada, Singapore and Australia.

"I was in Canada for 15 years as a schoolteacher and I was paid well by the Government.

After retirement, all teachers whatever the country they come from were granted a life insurance policy."

He said in addition, retired teachers whether they were local or overseas citizens were paid the monthly pension.

"I think our education authorities will have to learn a lesson from foreign countries and grant these facilities for the benefit of our teachers."

A retired teacher Mrs. Amara Damunupola of Mahaiyawa, Kandy condemned the behaviour of present day teachers who indulge in trade union action to win their demands.

"True that teachers have plenty of problems, but, I am against their recent action conducted in the presence of students in the country."

He said teachers destroy their image in the presence of students by indulging in this type of trade union activities. How can our teachers advise the students to be good citizens. "However, the Government is responsible for the pathetic behaviour of teachers and I kindly request the authorities to intervene in their salary issue without further delay."

A private sector Executive Dushyantha Wijewickrama of Agalawatta asked the Government to rectify the salary anomalies of teachers as early as possible to prevent them from indulging in this type of low trade union action again in the future.

"In our country, normally doctors, nurses, bus conductors, drivers and railway workers win their demands by resorting trade union activities, but this was the first occasion I saw teachers engaging in trade union action."

He said teaching was a noble profession and requested all teachers not to fall into the same level of health sector workers such as doctors and nurses. Schoolboy Chaturanga Rumesh of Kollupitiya, whose mother is also a teacher said the problems of teachers remained unresolved since 1997 and requested the Government to take speedy action to rectify the salary anomalies before they resort to luanching an islandwide strike. A Director of a Zonal Education office, Chandrasiri Kumaranayaka. was not happy with the decision given by the Supreme Court on teacher unions and said that at the same time the Supreme Court should have directed the Education Ministry to rectify the salary anomalies of teachers.

"I kindly like to remind the Judges in the Supreme Court that they too had come to this position due to the sacrifice made by teachers in the country."

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