Teachers in Samfya have gone on strike with immediate effect to protest over non payment of various allowances entitled to them.
The teachers resolved to join the strike called by their colleagues in Mansa after a meeting held yesterday with their union representatives.
Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) district secretary, Kupa Kunda, confirmed the development to ZANIS today.
Mr Kunda said the decision to go on strike was arrived at during a meeting held at Samfya Basic school attended by 113 teachers.
He said the meeting was convened by the three teachers unions, the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT), Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) and Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ).
Mr Kunda said teachers are protesting over non payment of their fixed band allowance which has been outstanding since 2003 and non-payment of their settling in allowances, among other things.
And according to a copy of minutes of the meeting obtained by ZANIS, the teachers also advanced five other grievances that government has allegesly failed to address as reasons for their strike action.
The five grievances are failure by government to effect change on salary notches, underpayment of 40 per cent housing allowances, non payment of extra and responsibility allowances, and non payment of salary arrears to teachers who are upgraded.
They also want government to pay them housing allowances for the months of May and June which were not paid last year.
Meanwhile, Mr Kunda disclosed to ZANIS that the union will later this morning meet with Provincial Education Officer, Florence Kanchebele, to discuss other complaints that head teachers have raised against the office of the district education board secretary (DEBS).
He said head teachers are complaining that the DEBS office in Samfya is levying schools amounts between K250,000 and K500,000 from their monthly allocations meant for purchase of learning materials.
He said the DEBS office is collecting the money purporting that the fund is being used for monitoring school activities in the district.
He said the union wants this matter clarified because what is supposed to be the practice is that the DEBS office needs to budget for monitoring activities instead of levying the money from school allocations meant for materials.
And ZNUT trustee, Victoria Chituta, appealed to the Ministry of Education to institute investigations on how the money levied from school allocations was being used.
Ms Chituta said she has tried to investigate with schools in other districts of the province whether their DEBS’ offices were deducting money from monthly school allocations meant for materials.
She said so far it is only in Samfya where such levies are effected, hence the need for Ministry of Education to intervene in the matter.
ZANIS/ENDS/IMD/EB
Oh no :o:o:o
This is too bad!! Education should not be put on hold. Government please find a solution!! No strikes please
Top 5 Teachers !
elolwanya
Zimandola1
Hi >:/
Ba Dr Maureen how are you?
Jam@co ! At shani
6. Ba Dr Maureen
good evening ba Maureen. Nabwila kuno ku Gelemani. Soon ni |-)|-)|-)
Why is it that in our country Teachers and Nurses are not treated well yet are the ones who teach and nurse us?Please pipo respect these pipo without them ngatamwaba namuma ofesi ayo.
That is the right thing to do,how can they be expected to work on an empty stomach
Teachers please go back and teach those innocent children!!!!!
“Mr Kunda said teachers are protesting over non payment of their fixed band allowance which has been outstanding since 2003 and non-payment of their settling in allowances, among other things.”
Congrats Samfya teachers for going on strike. Please, make sure you do not go back to teach in your classes until your demands are met.
On the Samfya DEBS whatever he/she is called from Luapula or Northern Province, this is a direct opposite of what was reported that Western Province people have faithfully returned the HIV/AIDS funds that we not used to the Capital Lusaka.
Why is it something about money misuse is normally learnt from Luapula and/or Northern Provinces people when Westerners do well?
Teachers well done, why can’t you go for 5years strike? Let the children and their parents and their relatives and their MPs and their Government and their nation and their continent and their world teach them. You are very sleepy why should you be owed since 2003? when everyone is getting pay rise. Ask the MPs how much cash they throw around..mind you their children’s talk time on Zein per month is equivalent to your annual income. Teacher iwe salapuka!
#11 good morning, I am very encouraged by your comments. The problem are teachers themselves they strike for one hour and expect MMD to listen, go for years..
Ala mwandiii.. Kale ba amba ba teacher ukuchula pa Zedi. Bushe when are they going to be relieved of their burdens????
:o:o$-)$-)$-)$-)$-)**==#:-s
#14 friend, what does your name mean? Teachers I pity them. One Mopani miner was complaining about PAYE that it is too much, his deductions can pay two teachers. What annoyed me was his reference to teachers. Please teachers demand more…
You teacher if you have brains please dont go back to class. Lif should be enjoyed by every Zambian not only MMD. Dont go back if you do ngesa milopola. Dull creature ~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(
#15,
Friend.
My name means a very cutey somebodys wife. and I mean very cute wifey, till death….. and please no more questions as they will only be answered by hubby… who has given me permission/blessings to blog about mother Zambia..just because I was born in Zambia, my umbilical cord is buried in Zambia, but I will not be buried in Zambia…A bit complicated you see…. :)>-:)>-:)>-**==**==**==**==**==**==<:-p<:-p<:-p<:-p
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N/Western teachers rescind decision to strike
By STEVEN MVULA
SOME teachers in North-Western Province who had threatened to strike over non-payment of rural and remote hardship allowances have rescinded their decision following a meeting held with Government officials last week. Source: Zambia daily mail
Now reader, these teachers are not united so forget about them.
There are teething problems with the teaching profession in Zambia.Most of the degree holders have left the profession. Salaries are low, politicians take teachers for granted and nowadays, teaching profession has been left to Grade 12 failures. Those are the ones that go to COTSECO, Nkuruma and other colleges. UNZA Graduants disappear immediately they graduate. Shame Shame Shame on Zambia!
These teachers have tried to follow procedures to get their money but everything has failed. Let them use UNZA Students style if they want their money. Hence people should not blame UNZA students when they throw stones but the government.
Iyi nkhani ya a phunzitsi ni yakudala maningi. These politicians think they own this country, they should be taught a lesson so that they learn to share the national cake equitably. I am actually very annoid to the point that I can no longer blog on this topic again. :((:-\”:d
Yaba! No comment. Kuti walufyanya. 😕
Teachers if you call off the strike without your grievances being addressed, i will sort you out and it means you are senseless.
MInd you your salaries are equivalent to talk time allowance of a minister!
Docile zambians. How long are you going to sleep and let the politicians destroy our Country. It is time to work up and chase those crazy boreheads out of the town. Zambia is for us all and we should be able to share the little that is there. Teachers, you should not just talk about allowances but all the emoluments that go with your work. Its not only the teachers but all the GRZ employees. Work up and fight for your rights or you will continue living poor lives when the politician are enjoying. Sleep on and die poor or work up and get what you deserve docile Zambia
who suffers when teachers go on strike? is it the government? or its the parents and their children? a teacher is also a parent and s/he understands what it means not to teach. imagine constitutional officers had their allownaces increased and immediately they are paid as per their agreement.teachers are not sacrifical lambs and they government must give them what is due.As parents, teachers do what is RIGHT. infact the development of Zambia depends on you if no one cares then why should you? carryout a simple research all top government officials and politicans dont send their kids to Govt schools.Who is suffering …….IT’S YOU my dear :)>-