Teachers’ demand for pay hikes: An unjust call
View(s):The current teachers protests and strike action that is jeopardising the education and future of our younger generation needs an objective analysis as to whether there really are genuine anomalies in relation to the respective salaries of principals and teachers.
The shrill vociferous demands of the mob are often politically orchestrated and need to be examined and responded to responsibly with rational basis without resorting to political appeasement and the ad hoc creation of salary anomalies, with other services island wide.
Firstly let us examine the origin of the purported salary problem issue affecting the teachers, principals and education administrative service. Prior to the establishment of the Teachers Service on October 6, 1994, salaries of the teachers were based on their qualifications as trained teachers, non-trained teachers, honours graduates, general degree and diploma holders etc. As such there were nearly 25 categories of teachers’ and they were allocated five salary scales.
Viz. salary scale and the initial annual salary were as follows: S 2 – 1- Rs 24,120, S2 – 2 - Rs 27,420, S2 – 3 –Rs 30,060, S11 – 1- Rs 32,520 and S11 – Rs 37,200.
This salary structure did not provide a grading system or promotional scheme for teachers. Therefore the need for a Teacher Service with a grading system and promotional scheme was deemed reasonable and justifiable. On 27/9/1994 then Education and Higher Education Minister Richard Pathirana sought Cabinet approval for the establishment of a Teachers Service (w.e.f. 6/10/1994).The structure and the salary scales of the proposed Teachers Service was also included in this note to the Cabinet.
The Observations of then Finance, Planning, Ethnic Affairs and National Integration Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga, dated 4/10/94, while accepting in principle the establishment of a Teacher Service, noted that the proposed salary scales for the Principals and Teacher Educators, if given, would create anomalies in the public service salary structure. It further emphasised the need for such proposed salary scales to be examined in depth and in comparison to other sectors of public service depending on work norms and other conditions of service. Teachers work 180-five-hour-days (around 900 hrs) per annum, whereas other public servants work 240-eight-hour-days (around 1900 hrs) per annum. In view of the complexity of creating new designations and assigning of new salary scales, the task was to be referred to the Salaries and Cadres Commission for examination and report before decisions are made.
However irrespective of these observations, the Cabinet paper 94/14/13 was approved by the Cabinet on 28/9/94 for the establishment of the Sri Lanka Teachers’ Service with effect from 06/10/1994, and to implement the salary scales proposed for the Sri Lanka Teachers Service with effect from 01/01/1995.
Viz. Class 1 Rs.105,000 – 10 x 4,800 – Rs.153,000, Class 11 Rs.80,400 - 07 x 3,000 – Rs.101,400, Class 2 Gr.II Rs.53,880 - 15 x 1560 - Rs.77,280, Class 3 Gr. I Rs.42,720 - 12 x 1200 – Rs.57,120, Class 3 Gr. II Rs.32,520 - 10 x 780 – 2 x 1200 – Rs.42,720.
In response to the above Cabinet Decision, Chandrika Kumaratunga further sought the approval of the Cabinet to amend the Cabinet decision of 28/9/94 (item 40) by including the words: ”it was decided to refer the proposals to the Salaries and Cadres Committee for a comprehensive examination and report before implementing the proposals as the last sentence after removing the words, and implement the salary scales proposed for the Sri Lanka Teachers Service with effect from 01.01.1995.”
Chandrika Kumaratunga, not to be out done, got the Government to issue gazette notification 843/4 of 31/10/94 coincidentally on the same date as the press notice on the subject issued by rival Presidential candidate Srima Dissanayake detailing the following:
Class 1 Rs.105,000 – 10 x 4,800 – Rs.153,000, Class 11 Rs.80,400 - 07 x 3,000 – Rs.101,400, Class 2 Gr.II Rs.53,880 - 15 x 1560 - Rs.77,280, Class 3 Gr. I Rs.42,720 - 12 x 1200 – Rs.57,120 and Class 3 Gr. II Rs.32,520 - 10 x 780 – 2 x 1200 – Rs.42,720.
This was the only instance where salary scale was gazetted before establishing a service. Significantly enough, this was the same as that which was proposed to the Cabinet against which Chandrika Kumaratunga had submitted her reservations and observations earlier.
It was only later on April 3, 1995 that gazette notice 855/3 was issued establishing the Teachers Service duly giving the above salary scales.
Hence anomalies arose due to this arbitrary manner of fixing Teachers’ Salaries without giving due consideration to those services in the education sector and other parallel services. The new salary scales of teachers created serious anomalies with the Principals Service salaries. Subsequent legal action initiated by principals in the Supreme Court resulted in the Supreme Court decision to rectify the anomaly by increasing the salaries of the principals.
This created anomalies between the salaries of Teacher Educators Service and the Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service (SLEAS) with the latter filing their complaints in the Supreme Court.
In 2006 the Government issued a new National Wage Policy with salary structure and promotional scheme considering all the grades of the Public Service i.e. from Labour grade to Senior Executive This removed the anomalies between the Principals Service and the SLEAS and therefore the Supreme Court case proceedings on SLEA, Principals Service were terminated. It is factually evident therefore that there are no anomalies between the Principals Service, the SLEAS and other services due to the overall, overarching comprehensive new salary structure and promotional scheme adopted across the entire Public Service.
With the active consultation and participation of all trade union representatives, the Government decided on maintaining a salary ratio between the labour grades and the senior executive grades. It is significant to mention that the formulation of the new Public Sector Salary Structure introduced through the Public Administration 6/2006 Circular was a mammoth task and hitherto unprecedented achievement. Prior to 2006 there were 126 salary scales for Public Servants in Sri Lanka. This was reduced to 37 salary scales with the policy decision of the Government to establish an agreed salary ratio of 1 :4.2 between the lowest grade in the public service and the highest grade of Cabinet Ministry secretary. This new and revised salary structure was accompanied by various other important benefits for all public servants such as grade to grade promotions without any cadre restrictions, non stagnation in reaching maximum salary point etc.
Therefore, it is clear that any other salary reports such as the B.C. Perera recommendations 1995 (quoted by the teachers) are now nullified and obsolete by the new salary structure for all public service categories established in 2006. Any attempt to tamper with the present salary structure for all public servants in favour of a particular group/category of teachers, principals, will inevitably open the Pandora’s Box for all varieties of agitation, demonstration, appeals from other sectors of the public service. In fact it is mentioned by the Supreme Court FR No:362 /99 “ it is not only legitimate, but sometimes essential to compare the salary scales of different services to determine salary scales (having regard to the required qualifications, knowledge, experience, skills, functions, responsibilities etc.) and salary differentials.
Moreover the pensionable salary of all public servants has been increased by more than 100% since 2016 to 2020. Presently these public servants are enjoying the benefits of such salary increases which were given in five instalments – eg: a Teacher’s initial pensionable salary in Gr.I which was Rs. 21,750 in 2015 has now been increased to Rs.44,950 as at 2020. Similarly it is vital to realise that currently teachers, principals and other public servants are obtaining more than 100% salary increases given by the Government. As a result there will be a tremendous increase in the total pension bill of the country.
Another demand of the teacher unions is that their salaries could be increased by declaring their services as a “closed service” so that a other services in the public sector will not have a claim were their salaries be increased. This is a complete myth since already the teachers service is a closed service, and teachers, cannot be transferred to any other departments or ministries.
Then the hitherto balanced national salary structure across the public service will be completely destroyed with all hell let loose with multiple demands from all sectors for salary increases.
(K. L. L. WIJERATNE)
(The writer, K. L .L. Wijeratne, was the former Secretary of the Salaries and Cadres Commission of Sri Lanka between 2006 – 2009, and subsequently Chairman of the Salaries and Cadres Commission between 2016 – 2019)