The Western Cape Government (WCG) has called on teacher unions to fight alongside it rather than against it following the announcement that more than 2 000 teachers are set to lose their jobs, Cape {town} Etc reports.
'Striking will not change the fact that we are being short-changed by the national government, which only provided 64% of the cost of the wage agreement negotiated nationally with unions, leaving the province to fund the remaining 36%,' the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said in a recent statement.
'The situation is critical. If we do not take drastic action to cover the massive shortfall, we compromise our ability to pay for our bills, which includes the salaries of teachers.'
The department noted that 'the only way' it could close the finance gap would be to cut 'critical support' to school in poorer communities such as school feeding, learner transport, and payments to schools for daily expenses.
The response follows announcements by two teacher unions who rejected the WCED's plan to cut 2 400 teaching jobs due to a budget shortfall. Both the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) in the Western Cape and the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) lodged disputes against the department.
