The Government agrees to facilitate the pay hike of teachers and principals in two stages, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has told the Teacher-Principal Union representatives.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa met the Teacher-Principal Union representatives for a decisive meeting at Temple Trees yesterday. The Teacher-Principal Unions are engaged in a trade union action for over three months demanding to rectify their salary anomalies and teachers have stopped online teaching.
The Cabinet Sub-committee appointed to look into the issue proposed to increase the salaries of teachers and principals in three stages, and the PM proposed to implement its first stage from Budget 2022 and the second and third stages from Budget 2023.
The PM said that the Government is sensitive to the salary problems of the teachers and principals and that it accepts that those anomalies should be rectified. However, he pointed out that those demands could not be met at once as the receipts to the Treasury have dropped in the face of COVID-19. He told the Union Leaders that the Government is coming up with these proposals despite the prevailing financial difficulties because it is important to continue the education of children without any interruption.He also assured that other recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Minister Dullas Alahapperuma would also be implemented, adding that those have received Cabinet approval.
Accordingly, he said the teachers’, teaching consultants’ and principals’ service would be made “Closed Services” and the orders in this regard would be published in November. The rest of the recommendations will be implemented within six months.
Teacher and Principal Trade Unions said they would convey their decision today after discussing the solutions presented by the Government with their members. Ceylon Teachers Services Union General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe speaking to the media said the demand was for the proposed salary to be given at once.
“However, the proposed salary will be provided via two installments by the Government. We will discuss with our members before reaching a final decision,” he said. Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera also attended the meeting. Among the representatives of Teacher-Principal Unions, who attended the meeting, were Joseph Stalin, Mahinda Jayasinghe, Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thera and several others.
Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, Gamini Lokuge, Dullas Alahapperuma, Mahinda Amaraweera and Udaya Gammanpila attended the meeting together with several other Government representatives.
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