The National Executive Committee of the Gambia Teachers Union has threatened to embark on a sit-down strike if their demands on issues affecting teachers’ welfare are not met by mid-day of 7th September.
They are demanding for an increment of house rent allowance and timely payment of salaries of newly qualified teachers among issues which are not remedied.
Essa Sowe, the General Secretary of Gambia Teachers Union told a press conference that the government ignored all the demands that were forwarded to them on 2nd March, 2018.
According to him, they are compel to go on strike because the government has failed to come with solutions.
For Sowe, the residential and house rent allowances of teachers in the provinces should be increased as soon as possible to D1, 000 since those teaching within the Greater-Banjul Area are benefitting from Transport allowance.
Sowe say the school improvement grant-arrears have to be paid and that government needs to bring reforms to schools especially Senior Secondary School, failure of which will result to further actions.
The Principal of Bottrop Senior School, Martin Gomez is the President of GTU. The Teachers’ Union, according to the former St. Augustine’s High School Principal, will not tolerate the continual obstacles that teachers are encountering.
