Govt moves to fix teacher classification anomaly

Government has signalled it will address a long-standing teacher classification anomaly, with a budget decision pending and a wider job evaluation exercise expected to tackle pay and grading issues.

Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh made the announcement at the 96th Fiji Teachers Union Annual Conference at Xavier College in Ba on Tuesday night.

He said while progress had been made, an outstanding issue remained affecting teachers with secondary qualifications teaching in primary schools.

“We are yet to address that anomaly, and that is something outstanding that must be done,” he said.

“I’m confident the next Budget will address that as we move forward. We will continue to listen and engage, as the FTU president has alluded to regarding the job evaluation exercise. Let me assure you, I am making that announcement on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Minister for Civil Service.”

Mr Singh said the Civil Service Job Evaluation Exercise would take place in the second half of this year.

He stressed the process must be collaborative.

“It is a partnership. It was always a partnership in the past, except in 2017 when it was one-way traffic,” he said.

“This job evaluation exercise must address all those anomalies from 2017, including the classification and grading of teachers and related issues. I challenge the FTU leadership to get actively involved to ensure we achieve the desired outcome.”

He said Government remained committed to working with stakeholders.

“You have a government that listens and has an open-door policy. We want to ensure that the respect, dignity, and rights of all workers in this country, including teachers, are fully upheld,” Mr Singh said.

“We will do our best to address the issues raised by your leadership. We may not be able to resolve everything in one year.

“This is ongoing work, but we will continue to prioritise and work with your leaders to implement solutions as we move forward.”

Caption: Ba branch president Manoj Kumar, Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh, and FTU secretary Muniappa Goundar. Photo: Waisea Nasokia.