Teachers petition GNAT, NAGRAT on salary arrears

Most of the affected teachers are from the 2013 and 2014 batch of newly trained teachers from the Colleges of Education, as well as teachers on promotions who were paid only three months of their salary arrears.

In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officers of the unpaid teachers, Wisdom Nyahe said "We are hereby informing or reminding you that we your members ( 2013 and 2014 batches of teachers not forgetting the pending 2015 batch ) have worked for government for 12 good months without pay and in anticipation of payment with arrears: the costs we incurred in those 12 months, the loans we took to survive, the goods we credited, the travelling expenses to our stations in and out, the rents we owe."

We know you are very smart and sharp when it comes to securing our signatures to be your members which you do even before we complete school or get our appointment letters. We taught that same smartness is what you will employ and apply when it comes to our welfare and security issues but NO !!!!!

Ever since we joined the teaching fraternity and become automatic members of one of you ( either by our own consent or by force ), we have encountered numerous problems ranging from poor conditions of work, unfavorable government policies, unnecessary government interruption, too long duration for upgrading after posting and now more suicidal non-payment of arrears policy for which we your members have starved and worked for.

These we counted on you to lead the front to fight for our better treatment but we have now begin to realise that you are only interested in our monthly dues for business purposes without placing first premium on the aims and objective of the union you communicated to us before we joined you.

Perhaps you are siding with government to infringe on our occupational rights and suppress our progress the likely benefits which might have blinded your eye over your duties as welfare protection unions.

Our primary reason for writing this letter is not to discredit any effort you might have done earlier in fight for these arrears or any general protection and welfare fight you might have fought for teachers as unions.

This write-up only aims to register our displeasure about how you are not showing enough concern to help us get our salary arrears.We are hereby informing or reminding you that we your members ( 2013 and 2014 batches of teachers not forgetting the pending 2015 batch ) have worked for government for 12 good months without pay and in anticipation of payment with arrears: the costs we incurred in those 12 months, the loans we took to survive, the goods we credited, the travelling expenses to our stations in and out, the rents we owe, the inferior things we ate due to lack of money and heavy debt, the good people we disappointed, the phone calls we dodged, the good name we lost and the endless list of traumatic experiences we had to endure trusting that one day the much waited salary with arrears will come to wash down all the filth that accumulated on us as a result of the delayed payment to relieve us to pick calls our families and creditors and to restore our image only to be told that only 3 months of our salary arrears will be paid and the remaining 9 months be paid after we fill forms which did not make clear meaning to us.We expected you ( teacher unions ) to ask questions on our behalf and assure us of our money from the response you might have gotten from government but we are yet to see any sign of date.We even complied by filling the forms at the IPPD departments of the various Education Offices but over 2 years now for ( 2013 batch ) and over one year now for ( 2014 batch) nothing has since then been heard.

Now the wait is over and our patience has completely ran out. Our hope seems to be dashing away and our trust in you is getting betrayed.Therefore we are starting the search for our genuine money not behind you but through you. Not without you but with you.We hope that as we always promise to protect our welfare you use this test to deliver your promise. We also humbly ask for your advice, directions and steps we should take to claim our money with your full support if government fails also is reluctant to do what is just and fair by giving to Caesar what is Caesar’.We kindly want to see or hear something from you in relation to this call in terms of actions you take concerning this letter before or on 30th May, 2016.If by the end of this time we have not heard anything positive or seen our monies in our accounts we will take it that you are no more there for us and we will use any means legally available to demand our money until the monies finally hit the accounts of the affected teachers to restore our lost image.
Counting on our usual cooperation.

Signed.
Nyahe Wisdom.