PEATTU Weeps For Members, Decries PCC's Poor Treatment Of Workers.
By
Raymond Dingana
DrayInfos
The
National President of the Presbyterian Education Authority Trade Union-PEATTU,
Comrade Afu Stephen has decried what he says is the poor working condition of
members of PEATTU who are all workers of the Presbyterian Education Authority.
Mr .Afu Stephen was speaking Wednesday March 18, 2020 during a press briefing
that held at the conference room of the North West Regional Delegation of Labor and social
security.
“It
is saddening to note that some of the PEA teachers have been working without
salaries while others just try to keep their work places afloat. We note, unfortunately, that some of our members have been
abandoned to themselves by the employer, while others have simply been laid off
or redeployed elsewhere. This puts PEATTTU in a fix. This is because the silence
from the employer could either be a tacit way of saying they have been laid
off. We use this opportunity to call on the Presbyterian Education Authority to
clarify the situation before it's late. If some staff has been laid off, they
should say so and follow the proper labor norms. ” .
Mr. Afu Stephen indicated.
He added
that, since the outbreak of the crisis and given the difficulty the
Presbyterian Education Authority had in settlement of workers’ wages, a
gentlemanly Protocol Agreement was reached with the teachers. He said till
date, and unfortunately, PEATTU has noted that, the employer has only applied
the sections of the agreement that favors them.
“Some of the sections are: Slash in Workers’ Salaries,
Suppression of some Allowances, Cancellation of Biological Children's Partial
Scholarship and others. In addition to that, there has been a reluctant and
selective payment of salary arrears to teachers and this has been done not even
respecting the time lines enshrined in the Protocol Agreement. Notwithstanding
the fact that some teachers do not know whether they have been laid off or not,
there has been a summarily stoppage of the payment of Social Insurance dues of
workers, taxes and others”.
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| Afu Stephen, National President Of PEATTU |
He also
indicated that, there seems to be a complete breakdown of communication between
the PEA and PEATTU and regrets that, it does not help in any way to ameliorate
the situation at hand. He also made mention of the fact that, PEATTU
members have reportedly been threatened by the Presbyterian Education Authority
for belonging to the Union citing the case of PCSS Mfou in Yaounde saying the
Financial Secretary no longer collaborate with them as was the case before.
He cited
the collection of data for the upcoming Education forum, contributed points to
the Commission on Education at the Major National Dialogue and were also active
at contributing ideas leading to the reorganization of the GCE Board as some of
the achievements of the Trade Union.
The
inability to reopen schools which has led to some of our teachers being laid
off, the difficulty in bringing the employer to understand the need and urgency
of respecting the Protocol Agreement in favor of the employee, payment of
salary arrears and many others are some of the major challenges they are facing.
Mr. Afu
Stephen said, PEATTU will continue to press for more reforms and the respect of
rights and privileges of workers. He also said, they will work to improve the
relationship between the employees and employers so that, employers can see the
Trade Union as a Partner in Development and not a Destabilizing Force.
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