The Gezamenlijke Onderwijs Vakbonden (GOV, Joint Education Unions) want clarity from the government by 1 October at the latest on a new salary structure for teachers. According to GOV coordinator Bernice Barron, improving employment conditions is necessary to retain education workers within the sector. If there is no clarity by that date, the unions will deliberate on further steps.
The unions submitted a proposal for a new salary structure to the government on 14 September. The proposal is currently being studied. According to Barron, the salary scale is part of a broader package of demands that has been under negotiation with the government for some time.
In June, the government and the education unions reached agreement on various employment conditions. According to Barron, however, this did not conclude the negotiation process. The unions believe that current salaries offer insufficient prospects to education workers.
Barron states that a teacher in the fourth grade currently earns approximately SRD 12,500, while the salary of a starting teacher in the first grade is between SRD 22,000 and SRD 23,000.
The union coordinator does not yet wish to disclose the specific amounts included in the proposed new salary scale. According to her, the unions and the government must first reach agreement on this.
Teacher shortage remains a concern
Speaking with Radio ABC, Barron pointed out that the teacher shortage has now become a structural problem. According to her, education workers are leaving for, among other places, the Netherlands and other Caribbean countries, while others are leaving education for sectors where higher salaries are paid.
The education unions are acting jointly in the negotiations. FOLS, the Syndicaat, DoHoS and the VWPU, among others, are involved in the process. The BVL-ALS is following a separate process, although the various unions are still jointly at the negotiating table with the government.
According to Barron, the salary proposals of the various organisations do not differ greatly from one another.
A first plenary negotiating session is scheduled for 24 September. If no agreement is reached during that meeting, negotiations will resume on 25 September.
Barron effectively regards 1 October as an ultimatum. If there is still no clarity on the new salary structure by that date, the unions will determine which follow-up steps will be taken.
Concerns over start of new school year
The unions are also concerned about the start of the new school year. According to Barron, it is still insufficiently clear whether all personnel and organisational problems within education have been resolved. “If it goes the same way this year as it did last year, it will not work,” she warned.
