• Grievances of Community Education and Training colleges(nationally)
We as CET colleges from nine provinces request urgent intervention from our employer (DHET) based on transition of contract to permanency of CET lecturers. Prior to implementation we received various circulars informing us little about how the whole process is going to be done, without our views and insight regarding the matter. They even assured us that permanency will never affect our salaries, however on the 14th May we were surprised realising that almost 40% of our net salaries were deducted without informing us. We therefore demand the following to be considered by department of higher education and training before implementation of permanency:
1. Employment contract stipulating scope of work, compensation, and nature of appointment for all lecturers individually.
2. Gazetted notches for CET lecturers. notches must be equivalent to other notches of educators and workers in the public sector.
3. All CET lecturers from nine provinces must earn equally and work same hours. No lecturer will work few hours based on the level of their qualification as suggested by internal memo from Matlawa (free state CET college principal).
4. Pay back money that was deducted unlawfully from lecturers.
5. Lecturers’ qualifications must be captured and be paid according to relevant qualifications. Other lecturers completed their qualification more than five years back, but they are still not paid. When they enquire, system shows that they are paid without reflection of money in their accounts. Others are told that treasury is rejecting their applications due to nature of appointment that were made error.
6. Lecturers who seem to be struggling to improve qualification must be developed and assisted with bursaries to complete their studies to be at required level of qualifications.
7. Salary advice must be given to lecturers every month prior to payday. All deductions must be shown on payslip. Many lecturers did not receive their salary advice and others received them without indication of how 37% were distributed.