Teachers lose acting roles, face $16,000 pay cuts

Twenty-six teachers face annual pay cuts of about $16,000 each after the Ministry of Education revoked their acting appointments as heads of schools, prompting the Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) to warn that strike action could be considered.

Some of the affected teachers had been acting as heads of schools for more than six months, while others had remained in the positions for more than four years.

The issue was raised at the FTA conference in Suva yesterday.

FTA general secretary Paula Manumanunitoga said the teachers were placed in acting positions after vacancies arose, including when heads of schools migrated overseas or died.

Under the law, an acting appointment should not continue for more than six months before the position is advertised.

However, the union said some teachers remained in acting positions for years without the vacancies being advertised or the teachers being confirmed in the roles.

“This happens when the ministry recently revoked their acting appointments,” Mr Manumanunitoga said.

He said the affected teachers would now return to their substantive positions, resulting in their annual salaries dropping from about $34,000 to $18,000 — a difference of about $16,000.

One affected teacher, who asked not to be named, questioned why the acting appointment had been revoked after almost four years.

“Why they have to do it now? I’ve been acting for almost four years,” the teacher said.

Mr Manumanunitoga described the situation as a “big blunder” by the Ministry of Education.

The union said it would continue pushing Government to resolve outstanding issues affecting teachers and warned that strike action could be considered if the ministry failed to meet its commitments.

Questions sent to Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro remained unanswered when this edition went to press.