"Enough is Enough": FTU to Govt

Enough is enough!

This is the message from the Fiji Teachers Union (FTU) to the Government over the passing of the Parliamentary Emoluments Committee Report’s recommendations last Friday.

FTU general secretary Muniappa Goundar claimed this ‘egregious decision’ marked the highest pay hike in the nation’s history and constituted a blatant act of self-aggrandisement by those in power.

“The union has been patient for too long, now, it declares that enough is enough,” Mr Goundar said.

“Should the Government fail to meet these demands, the FTU will have no recourse, but to file a demand notice in court, followed by an industrial action.”

Response

He said the union firmly believed that the parliamentarians, who now acted in self-interest were once guided by teachers whose only agenda was to educate selflessly.

The union had consistently advocated for enhanced remuneration and improved working conditions for its members, who have not seen a meaningful pay adjustment in over a decade, the last being a paltry increase by the previous administration.

“Since assuming office at the start of 2023, the Coalition Government has presented one budget last June, which offered nothing to the teachers,” he said.

“The rationale given was the substantial national debt. Yet, a mere one-and-a half years later, it is evident that the national interest has succumbed to personal interest for the policymakers.”

He said the Emoluments Committee’s recommendations, now poised to become law, represented a grave injustice to the educators of this country. FTU perceives this as the ultimate affront to teachers, akin to the similar indignity inflicted in 2018 when the previous government demoted some school heads to acting positions, he said.

He said the Government must recall that it was the unions that supported their ascent to power.

“Turning a blind eye to the plight of civil servants in favor of self-enrichment is a betrayal of this support,” he said.

Financial distress

Currently, the average annual income for educators in Fiji is a meager $16,700, far below the threshold of $30,000, effectively placing teachers in poverty. He said his financial distress was exacerbated by the policymakers’ apparent disregard for the basic economic realities faced by teachers, who were consequently leaving the country in droves.

He claims the Ministry of Finance is consulting various stakeholders for the 2024/25 National Budget, yet the FTU, the largest teacher union in the country, has been excluded from these discussions.

“This exclusion is an egregious oversight,” he said.

“The FTU demands a 30 per cent across-the-board pay adjustment for all teachers, reflecting their experience and dedication.”

He further stated that the current inflation rate stood at 2.7 per cent, which could only be mitigated through the reintroduction of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to preserve the purchasing power of the dollar.

Additionally, he said the reclassification of schools, an issue discussed extensively with the Ministry of Education, must be addressed in the forthcoming budget to prevent further attrition of teachers due to the flawed classification system implemented in 2018.

The average monthly gross salary for kindergarten teachers is about $894.00 for half-day teaching, a stark contrast to the lavish remuneration of parliamentarians who may earn the same for half a day’s work.

“This glaring disparity underscores a profound injustice. Kindergarten teachers, who lay the foundational stones for future learning, deserve full-day compensation and recognition for their invaluable contributions.”

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