SADTU Western Cape media statement on cost containment measures as contained in WCED circular 34 of 2023

7 December 2023

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in the Western Cape expresses its vehement rejection of the cost containment measures as spelt out in WCED Circular 34 of 2023.We want to put it on record that although labour was consulted regarding cost containment measures during the MTEF consultations on the basket of posts for 2024, SADTU never agreed on three of the areas where the employer seeks to cut costs.

It has been the practice for schools within WCED to get a substitute educator whenever there is an educator who is on sick leave for 15 consecutive days. The new circular states that substitutes will only be available for educators who are on maternity leave. The circular is also quiet about educators who are on both short term and long term PILIR leave. This will imply that poor working-class schools who are unable to afford an SGB employed substitute will have big unmanageable classes which spells a disaster for the academic outcomes.

The same circular is doing away with substitutes for educators who are acting in a School Management Team (SMT) capacity, except for principal positions. There are cases where there is more than one vacancy of SMT positions at a school. This once more means that schools will bear the burden of bigger class sizes which will compromise education outcomes.

SADTU also disagrees with filling all Post Level 1 vacancies through a formal vacancy list. With The current backlog in the filling of posts, this will place a bigger burden on the Recruitment and Selection Directorate. We still insist that all Post Level 1 posts are better filled through Section 6A of the Employment of Educators Act.

Issued by Kenneth Williams, Deputy Provincial Secretary, SADTU Western Cape, 7 December 2023