By MATTHEW VARI
Special Parliamentary Committee on Public Sector Reform and Service Delivery has slammed all parties involved in teachers not receiving their leave fare entitlements.
Committee Chairman, Bire Kimisopa, called on all parties to stop blaming each other, for what termed as a ‘blame game’ circle that had continued for years with the issue.
“I note that this is very poor budgeting- anyone can pick up this document and look at it and see that this is lousy accounting that is not adjusted to CPI or inflation,” Kimisopa said referring to budget documents obtained during the hearing.
“The teachers have been denied by gross incompetence from the provincial administration down to the department of education.”
“You people could have seen this and saw that this is not right, because it hasn’t been adjusted to inflation.”
He said that the situation had to change- presenting the committee’s view which he said they will advocate forward to address once and for all.
“It is a breach of labor laws and employer covenant that a genuine teacher does not get his or her pay,” the chairman said.
“We have broken the law and the employer should be ashamed that the employee is not getting his fares.”
“With our preliminary findings we have come to a conclusion that we want to advocate a standard pay for teachers that their leave fares are paid to them every fortnight directly into their accounts,” the chairman added.
The committee added to the view that any component of the leave that is left in the teachers payroll taken every fortnight- representation could be made to the Internal Revenue Commission to exempt them.
“That is something we need to work together aggressively.”
Part of its initial recommendations it was also revealed that through the course of discussions within the committee of a mandatory checkpoint for teachers to serve for 5 years rather than the current two year period to avoid the issue of transferring every two years.
“It is just confusing, a mandatory service period is good, and we should also put mandatory age limit for kids on two should be paid for.”
“We have not had the privilege of looking at the Ganim Report but the expectation on us is one of public policy as a parliamentary committee.”
“I appreciate that you are advocating a bio database, but there is no guarantee it will work- you are still persisting with the same old system that you are still waiting for information to come out from the provinces,” Kimisopa added.
He said that if they are entitled to those funds, they should be inflation adjusted, and should be given.
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