ESHS: 'Concerned teachers' allege huge income disparity between new & old staff
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Teachers on Friday, September 15, 2023, walked out of the classrooms to stage a sit-in protest under the tent at the campus in Road Town over several ongoing issues and challenges.
Concerned teachers raise voices
Now in a new statement penned by 'concerned teachers' of the school and seen by our newsroom, the teachers alleged that the issues affecting them are multifaceted, with one major concern being the disparity in salaries.
“Some teachers have chosen to leave their positions due to inadequate pay, resulting in a situation where newly recruited teachers are offered higher salaries than those who have been in the system for years, despite having similar qualifications.”
According to the concerned teachers, wage discrepancy can create frustration and demotivation among experienced teachers who feel undervalued for their years of service, “Furthermore, there seems to be a concerning trend of intimidation towards both cabinet members and the newly hired teachers,” the statement said.
The teachers allege that some individuals are also being threatened to refrain from participating in any form of protest or expressing solidarity with the teachers, however, it remains unclear if this is indeed the case.
Union reportedly sent letter to the Premier - Teachers
“In response to these issues, the teacher’s union has taken action by sending a letter to the government. However, as of now, there has been no response from the premier. This lack of communication and acknowledgment from the government can further exacerbate the frustrations of the teachers and hinder the resolution of these problems,” the statement continued.
The Premier after a September 15, 2023, meeting with educators, encouraged the teachers to put their concerns in writing for an investigation to commence and solutions found. While the teachers did indicate that they have received fans over ventilation issues after some delays, they said water woes and electrical issues persist at ESHS.
“These infrastructure challenges can disrupt the normal functioning of the school and create an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe environment for both teachers and students. Overall, the combination of salary discrepancies, intimidation, lack of government response, delays in resource distribution, and infrastructure issues creates a challenging and demoralizing situation for teachers," the statement said.
Our newsroom reached out to Premier Dr Wheatley on whether he has received a letter from the Union on the alleged income disparity issues, however, no response was received up to publciation time.
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25 Responses to “ESHS: 'Concerned teachers' allege huge income disparity between new & old staff ”
Moreover, the pay disparity is probably a function of poor compensation structure. The pay structure should include a grade/base with a series of steps for each grade. And there should be a standard grade for new inexperience teachers. New teachers either from overseas or local should be hired at a grade and step commensurate with training, certification and experience. Friction between current and new incoming employees salary disputes are universal. Current employees feel because they on the job the longest they should be paid more. But there are other factors why new employees should be paid more, ie, recruiting challenges, demand elsewhere, labour shortages, brain drain, gravitation to other skill set, etc. It is a challenge for management, trying to keep both groups happy. The steps offer the opportunity to hire at same grade but at different steps provide there can be reasonable time and provisions to move within steps, ie, certification, etc.
Many teachers painted and funded their new classrooms so that they look welcoming for the students. The same meager salary was put back into the classrooms. Teachers deserve a better salary.
I really think that it's time that the teachers demand better by any means necessary.