After years of waiting, occupational therapists, psychologists and school counsellors will collectively be paid more than R20 million owed to them.
|||Durban - After years of waiting, occupational therapists, psychologists and school counsellors will collectively be paid more than R20 million owed to them by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.
The payments would be made from the beginning of October, it was announced at the KZN legislature budget meeting for education on Wednesday, after pressure from unions for a date to be finalised.
The payment of the money owed was one of the many demands by the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) that led to its work-to-rule action on Monday.
Mbuyiseni Mathonsi, Sadtu’s provincial secretary, said the decision was as a result of negotiations between the department and the union.
He said there were 129 recipients who would receive more than R20m. One person is owed more than R100 000.
The issue arose after a collective bargaining agreement was signed by the Education Labour Relations Council in 2008 for an Occupational Specific Dispensation in the education sector. This was intended to promote career paths within education and provide adequate salary progressions for employees who wanted to stay in the classroom rather than move up to managerial posts.
However, the agreement didn’t cater for psychologists, therapists and counsellors who were thought to fall under the Department of Health.
Anthony Pierce, KZN chairman of the National Professional Teachers Union, said this was found to be incorrect and a number of those affected – many of whom worked in special needs education – approached the union for help.
“There was no time frame given as to when they would be paid and pressure was brought to the (national) Department of Basic Education last year.”
He said a number of therapists in other provinces, including the Western Cape and Gauteng, were paid, although this didn’t happen in KZN.
“The national department interacted with the provincial department and they agreed the payment would be made in October,” said Pierce.
DA spokesman for education in the province, Tom Stokes, welcomed the news that the National Treasury had agreed to fund the money due, which he put at R23m.
Martin Visagie, chairman of the governing body of Ethembeni School, a school for physically disabled and visually impaired pupils, said the payment was long overdue.
He said the education sector stood to lose the vital services of therapists to the private sector if the agreement wasn’t upheld. Visagie said his school had seven therapists and one psychologist who would be difficult to retain without compensation.
“It’s difficult to keep young therapists starting out, but is also a concern for people due to retire at the end of the year.”
He said it was “fantastic” that a date had finally been given but it shouldn’t have taken such a long time.
lauren.anthony@inl.co.za
Daily News