Government - Trade Union Joint Committee: Tony Mwaba concludes proceedings with priority actions for teachers

"On behalf of the Government of the Republic and in my capacity as the guardian of free public primary education, I pledge to spare no effort in ensuring effective and ongoing follow-up with the Ministry of Budget and the Ministry of Finance, with a view to the flawless implementation of all priority measures in support of teachers, as agreed upon during this conference, and to do so as soon as possible," stated the Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, during his speech delivered at the closing of the Government-Union Joint Commission meeting on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Venus Village in Bibwa, in the commune of Nsele. 

The EPST Minister, who spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister in the presence of Deputy Minister of Budget Élysée Bokumuana Maposo and Deputy Minister of Finance O’neige N’Sele, noted that these meetings were organized to reflect, in advance, on the priority actions to be implemented within the framework of the 2024 fiscal year, given the budget allocations assigned to the primary, secondary, and technical education subsector. 

Professor Tony Mwaba further emphasized that these meetings enabled the various participants, both from the government side and the union side, to identify resources other than those allocated in the remuneration chapter, with the aim of requesting the competent authorities to include them in the final accounts and also to facilitate the implementation of all priority actions agreed upon by both parties, in order to consolidate, he said, the achievements of free public primary education and educational quality, but also and above all to ensure social peace in the school environment. 

According to the head of the EPST, this new approach—which involves engaging teachers in the selection of priority actions—also has the advantage of enabling the Ministry of Budget to clearly identify the budget lines from which to draw the necessary resources that will allow the Government to implement its teacher remuneration policy without violating its commitments to its technical and financial partners.

These discussions, which took place from February 24 to March 16, 2024, represent yet another victory for teachers, who secured seven priority actions to be implemented in the 2024 fiscal year, as outlined in the Minutes signed between the Government and the Union. These include: a salary increase; the standardization and adjustment of the free education allowance for public-sector primary school teachers; payment for transferred grades; payment for non-permanent secondary school teachers and administrative staff; teacher retirement; the standardization of the payroll management allowance for staff and managers in the EPST’s central services; and finally, payment of the special duty allowance for inspectors and the specific allowance for support staff in the General Inspectorate. 

The two parties also agreed that the government, through the Ministry of Budget, will include the bonus for specific payroll management duties in the final accounts with a monthly allocation of approximately 7,772,000,000 FC, and to cover the deficit recorded at DINACOPE by drawing from another budget line compatible with remuneration in order to meet the urgent needs identified during the meetings. The same applies to special allowances for field inspectors and temporary staff, with an amount of approximately 2,475,000,000 FC included in the final accounts for Q2 2024.

Union members are therefore called upon to demonstrate greater responsibility and professionalism when reporting the outcomes of this joint committee to their respective constituencies, in order to conclude the 2023–2024 school year in tranquility and social peace.

Christian BELLA