Mbabane: Their future is hanging on the balance.
This phrase best describes what has befallen about 30 teachers of Mbalenhle Christian Academy, who had seen their salaries slashed by 50 percent for the first time for the month of October.
Independent News has learnt that teachers from this private school located at Ngculwini in the Manzini were later told that the other 50 percent will be paid within a week period.
It has been reliably established that the dawn of the matter was that on Monday, October 19, the Director of the School, Thabile Gumbi, called an urgent meeting to inform teachers that due to the school financial constraints caused by parents’ failure to pay school fees, she will not be able to pay them full salaries but rather 50 percent. The teachers’ pay day is the 25th of every month. Through its well-placed sources, Independent News has been made to understand that the new development made teachers to be hot under the collar for many reasons as they argued that it was too late to notify them because it was just some few days before pay day. Information reaching this publication is to the effect that the teachers unanimously agreed to take the 50 percent pay cut.
Independent News was told by its sources that on Tuesday, October 20, the teachers signed a petition, seeking to stop the director from implementing the salary cuts. This publication was made to understand that the petition was signed about 90 percent of the teachers and the remaining ones were foreign nationals who did not sign in fear of victimisation.
Then on Wednesday, it is said the director called another agent meeting where she showed them what they allege was ‘fake’ bank statement of the school account which the teachers felt was an insult too because it was clear to everyone that it was a ‘cooked’ account designed to convince them that the school was indeed facing financial challenges.
Sources close to the matter further revealed that this suspected fake bank account showed a balance of around E300 000 whereas the teachers’ salaries takes around E600 000. Interestingly, the sources it was clear that the statement shown to them was an orchestrated bid to pull wool over their eyes because it was marred by lots of anomalies from the account. One of the anomalies was that some transactions were erased, the sources claimed.
One of the teachers who elected to comment on condition of anonymity told this publication that the director gave them copies of the bank statements but he later took them back soon after the meeting. The teacher further revealed that another grave concern was that the bank account where the statement was drawn from is not the same account number or either one of the account numbers written on the fees schedule that is used by parents when paying school fees. The teacher said they then tried to enquire all these anomalies, but the director allegedly declined to give them satisfactory explanations and was infuriated and reportedly lashed out at them.
Furthermore, Independent News has established that on Thursday, October 22 the teachers came with a letter from a legal adviser, in a bid to stop the director from paying them 50 percent of their salaries. It is alleged that the director refused to take the letter and she turned it back without opening it and told them that she does not want letters but the teachers’ suggestions on the matter at hand.
Our sources went on to say that on Friday, an urgent meeting was called where the director allegedly verbally assaulted the teachers who delivered the letter, telling them that they must come with suggestions not letters.
Another teacher disclosed that Saturday is a normal school day at Mbalenhle, therefore the salaries which were slashed by 50 percent were paid on that day, adding that the in-contacts were followed by SMS’, apologising on the cut and assuring them that the other 50 percent will be paid within a space of a week.
Surprisingly, on Monday, October 26, the director called another meeting at around 3 pm. Independent News gathered that during that meeting the director further delivered more bad news to the teachers as she gave them options on how she intends to solve the matters engulfing her school. An undisputed source revealed that Gumbi (director) told them that she does not have enough money to pay them full salaries.
“Utse vele imali yekubabhadala full pay ute,” the source said in vernacular. This can be loosely translated as she told them that she does not have money to pay full salaries.
Moreover, the director touched on retrenchments, but quickly dismissed that idea, mentioning that government had suspended retrenchments of staff due to the prevailing situation of COVID-19.
It has also been gathered that the director went on to talk about the negotiation table, where she and the teachers can negotiate the salary cut as school coffers are dry. “What is of concern to us is that she will call the teachers one by one to negotiate the pay cut but if one does not agree to the pay cut the teacher will be forced to take the voluntary exit without package,” one of the teachers said.
Gumbi, (director) declined to comment, saying she does not devulge information regarding his staff salaries to the public. She told this reporter that her principles does not allow her to do so, even the Ministry of Education knows that. She said for the record, she does not and will never talk about such matters because it is between her and her employees.
Labour Commissioner in the Ministry of Labour and Security, Mthunzi Shabangu said first and foremost, the government is often limited when it comes to private business issues. Shabangu said, he is aware of the matter as some of the effected teachers have contacted him and he just gave them guidelines to follow when dealing with the matter at hand.
Shabangu added that there are guidelines which were set by the government for businesses to follow when dealing with such matters and those guidelines are contained in the Government Gazette; the Guidelines on Employment Contingency Measures in Response to the Coronavirus Notice 2020.
The labour commissioner said should the director want to take either of the options with her staff, she should consult with all stakeholders before making any decision. Shabangu highlighted on the option for lay-off that it should be applied for by the employer to his office. He said the application letter should contain the following.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel for the latest news:
Join Now
