Talks on lecturers’ pay demands today

THE Office of the Prime Minister is hard at work to resolve a pay and grading dispute of lecturers at the country’s four education colleges to avert a threatened strike.

The lecturers issued a statement on Friday that they will stage industrial action if their long-running demands over grading and salary adjustments are not met. The Government was forced into action on Friday and hastily informed the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) that they are prepared to come to the table to negotiate and resolve the lecturers’ dispute.In May this year, lecturers from the country’s four teachers’ training colleges held demonstrations and picketed in front of their colleges demanding that their grading be adjusted and put on a par with those at the country’s other tertiary institutions.After Nantu intervened and the Government promised to address the issue, the teachers went back to class.The teachers spoken to by The Namibian this week accused the Government of delaying tactics and not taking their demands seriously.On Friday they again threatened to go on strike if their demands were not met by Monday.Government’s quick reaction resulted in lecturers temporarily suspending the strike.Maria Katjaita, a lecturer at the Windhoek College of Education, told The Namibian that if the negotiations are fruitless, they will still go on strike.”We will not call off anything, unless we are sure something positive comes out,” said Katjaita.A strike will mean that students at the four colleges won’t be able to write their year-end examinations, which start today.Late yesterday afternoon the negotiating teams of Nantu and Government were still engaged in the talks, trying to hammer out an amicable solution.The lecturers are demanding a salary increase backdated to November last year.They want a salary scale between N$160 302 and N$170 724 a year for entry-level lecturers with a three-year degree plus a teaching qualification and at least five years of experience.The current entry-level salary scale is between N$123 555 and N$141 150 a year.For lecturers with a master’s degree, they demand a salary scale between N$165 513 and N$181 809.Heads of department should earn between N$170 724 and N$181 809 a year, the lecturers say.The Government was forced into action on Friday and hastily informed the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) that they are prepared to come to the table to negotiate and resolve the lecturers’ dispute.In May this year, lecturers from the country’s four teachers’ training colleges held demonstrations and picketed in front of their colleges demanding that their grading be adjusted and put on a par with those at the country’s other tertiary institutions.After Nantu intervened and the Government promised to address the issue, the teachers went back to class.The teachers spoken to by The Namibian this week accused the Government of delaying tactics and not taking their demands seriously. On Friday they again threatened to go on strike if their demands were not met by Monday.Government’s quick reaction resulted in lecturers temporarily suspending the strike.Maria Katjaita, a lecturer at the Windhoek College of Education, told The Namibian that if the negotiations are fruitless, they will still go on strike.”We will not call off anything, unless we are sure something positive comes out,” said Katjaita.A strike will mean that students at the four colleges won’t be able to write their year-end examinations, which start today.Late yesterday afternoon the negotiating teams of Nantu and Government were still engaged in the talks, trying to hammer out an amicable solution.The lecturers are demanding a salary increase backdated to November last year.They want a salary scale between N$160 302 and N$170 724 a year for entry-level lecturers with a three-year degree plus a teaching qualification and at least five years of experience.The current entry-level salary scale is between N$123 555 and N$141 150 a year.For lecturers with a master’s degree, they demand a salary scale between N$165 513 and N$181 809.Heads of department should earn between N$170 724 and N$181 809 a year, the lecturers say.