COSATU RIGHT AND ANC WRONG ABOUT STRIKING
One cannot support the Constitution of South Africa when it suits us and ignore it when it does not.
COSATU and SADTU, representing teachers, are right about striking. The ANC is wrong. Gwede Mantashe looked silly again. Our Constitution protects the rights of all to assemble, demonstrate, picket and present petitions in a peaceful and unarmed manner. Teachers therefore have the right to strike. If the government tries to remove that right, the Constitutional Court is sure to protect the rights of the teachers.
But why would teachers ever have to strike? Advocate Johan Kruger pointed out in another context that the Constitution also provides a number of other options to claim our rights in a peaceful and lawful manner, including the right to fair labour practices, the right to join a union, the right to engage in collective bargaining and ultimately, the right to strike.
Teachers number hundreds of thousands; they are hugely influential and politically powerful in their communities. No government would want to alienate them and annual negotiations should produce for the teachers salary improvements that are reasonable. It is when the teachers come with ‘demands' that are outrageously over the top, as we have seen in the recent past, that the government should not be blackmailed by strike threats. The public will never support strike action by teachers for increases way above inflation. These are just not affordable. A determined government must face them down, rendering threats of a strike or an actual strike ineffectual and unproductive.
Striking itself is not the main problem. At worst that would be a few days or a week or so. What is far more damaging to education is the failure of many teachers to put their whole time and attention into their teaching. Too many are frequent absentees; too many take sick leave when they are not sick. Many SADTU members are like permanent full-time shop stewards, more concerned about union business and meetings in school hours than about their pupils who are left to idle the day away. Principals are powerless.
Professionalism is important and is too often neglected. To many of us, teaching is a calling, a profession, not a business or a job. Teachers ought to conduct themselves accordingly. Many do. Perhaps the overwhelming majority do. But quite a number do not and they spoil the image of the teaching profession. In the aftermath of the Limpopo school book crisis it was suggested that pupils should be given the opportunity of catching up over weekends. SADTU's spokesperson said that teachers would be prepared to assist, but would only do so if they were paid extra. That statement did enormous damage to the image of teachers. Money first; pupils second. Where was the professionalism? Where was the volunteerism? Where was the heart?
Teachers are part of the problem and also the solution. If the government is serious about making education a success, the profession will have to come to the party. They can insist on their right to strike but they must help us realise the dream of every parent: a decent education for our children.
Douglas Gibson can be followed on Twitter at @dhmgibson
This article first appeared in The Citizen.
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