Stefanus Nashama
The Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu), and Namibia Public Workers Union (Nampu) this week held a meeting in the northern regions to discuss issues related to teachers’ salary increases.
According to Nantus’ Chairperson, Hosian Hitanua, the union has had several meetings with the government regarding the teachers’ salary increment.
Hitanua indicated that the union continues to engage stakeholders to ensure all the demands of the teachers are met.
“We will continue to engage the government on the matter. This is to ensure that the demands of our colleagues in the teaching industry are met,” the Chairperson said.
He stressed that the main engagement of the meetings in the northern regions is to discuss the possible ways to ensure teachers are happy with the salary they receive.
Hitanua pointed out that some of the teachers work in remote areas where there is no water network or road network but they never surrender.
“There are many challenges surrounding teachers.
This is the reason we are discussing possible ways to teachers’ salary increment,” he stressed.
Historically, this is not the same time teachers engage on the matter of salary increments.
In 2020, hundreds of teachers gathered at the Habitat Research Center in Windhoek for a mass meeting to decide on the way forward regarding salary increments, with the majority expressing that they live in debt and unsustainable living conditions and are now hungry for action to increase salaries.
In February 2021, Napwu and Nantu presented the government with a salary and benefits increment proposal for 2021/2022.
The unions demanded a 10 percent pay raise across the board, a 25 percent increase in qualifying amounts for housing subsidies, a 10 percent increase in transportation for civil servants below management, and a 9 percent increase in housing allowances.
Secretary-General of Nantu, Loide Shaanika, could not comment as she was attending a meeting at the time of going to print.
