Minister Currie on overdue payments to retired teachers: “We must take procedures into account”

Het ministry is working to shorten procedures in order to prevent such delays in the future. “We have to take the administrative procedures into account,” Currie said on Wednesday ahead of the meeting of the Raad van Ministers (RvM, Council of Ministers). According to the minister, several issues are involved in the payment of retired teachers. A large part of this group has now received their entitlements, but there are still teachers waiting for their money. “Some have not yet,” Currie said.

Advice for teachers approaching retirement

The minister advises teachers who will soon reach retirement age and plan to continue working to notify the ministry at least six months in advance. According to Currie, the procedure for applying for dispensation takes considerable time. If the application is not submitted in time, there is a risk that teachers will not receive a salary for a certain period. He stressed that the ministry is making every effort to pay this group’s outstanding entitlements as soon as possible.

Addressing administrative delays

Currie acknowledged that delayed payments of salaries and other financial entitlements have repeatedly led to strikes within education in recent years. “We need to change this,” the minister stated. According to him, the various administrative processes are currently being mapped out, with the aim of simplifying and shortening them. This should ensure that teachers receive what they are entitled to more quickly in the future.

Teachers have been working without pay for six months

In addition to the outstanding payments to retired teachers, the ministry faces other outstanding financial obligations towards education workers. Some teachers are still waiting for their gratuity, while others have outstanding entitlements related to their appointment as school principal. There are also education workers who are entitled to a salary adjustment after obtaining a higher qualification, but have not yet received it.

Currie finds the situation of teachers who have been working for months without receiving a salary particularly concerning. “We also still have people who have been working for six months but have not yet received a salary. That is unacceptable, and we are going to address this,” the minister stressed.