The Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT) has given a firm no to a salary increase offer of two percent from government.
Government proposed the two percent increase for the 2009 to 2010 period.
“Definitely the government has offered two percent for the first year; we’re not accepting the two percent … we are already in the first year and we’re definitely not accepting it,” said DAT President Celia Nicholas after teachers met Thursday to
discuss the salary negotiations.
Dominican teachers are requesting a salary increase of between five and eight percent from government.
The DAT held its first negotiation session with government last December.
Meanwhile Nicholas says teachers will present several proposals to government which will be disclosed at a later date.
I think that there should definitely be a raise,but this should be taken in context,you need to first see weither the percentage is possible,remember next year there is going to be a raise claim again so i think it should be done slowly but surely.
Election is over we will get even less than 2%. No wonder the teaching service cannot attract people with the type of discipline,brain,character,etc that it needs.
No wonder it is now largely dominated by women.
1 dollar for a bread, 5 dollars for a big fruta juice, 3,90 for a sardine in can=9,90 for a breakfast, i dnt even compt launch & dinner, things r so expensive in d/ca, so a 5 per cent increase for teachers would be good!!! skerrit urself well sit down touching ur 10 000 ec per month well share in wat u touchin ah ah ah F….. U level! sucks!!!
well well wher eis all th emonies chaveze gave to skerrit to campaign he didi not include the teachers eh
welll dominicans were fooled again and the people inthye diapora who come to vote and put labour back you al see the teachers in their deep sheet . Now is tax time inthe Us and al u enjoying al you tax monies
Fire go burn al you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were convincingly duped. Poor things. I wish them well. Teachers are so demotivated, thank god my child has the option of private school!
They should take a page from Saint Lucian teachers’ book, they shut down the whole educational system last year. Stop insulting our teachers with 2%.
Oops! ! I screwed up on legitimate. I hate when that happens. Ya, ya, ya ! Proof read before you submit, not after.
Teachers definitely deserve better. The teacher who makes $i400 can only receive $70 if given a 5% raise. 2% will only amount to $28 increase. On the other hand, the PM has to act responsibly. This is not politics. Now we are talking economics. Can the country sustain 8% ?. The fact that PM Skerrit was a teacher is not the point although he can relate to their plight. What will the nurses, police and others demand if teachers are given 8% ? Has the economy grown sufficiently to sustain increased salary in the service sector? Are we aware that the productive sector (agriculture, manufacture etc) and tax revenues have to foot the bill? When I sift through the politics posted on this board, I realized that the same folks who called DA backward are the same ones supporting the large increase because of their hatred for the PM. Now they look for any excuse to say ” I told you so! ” . These folks would like to see the country in turmoil. Teachers, you have a legetimate claim but beware of politicians in wolves clothing. If the PM pays 8% now, the burden remains with all future governments. So Skerrit haters, be careful what you ask for.. I can’t believe that a teacher makes $1400 in this day and age after having had a UWP government. Didn’t they improve anything? My dear teacher, I suspect that you are on the lower end of the pay-scale, Get trained and become qualified. A HIgh School Diploma will no longer earn enough to get by.
@ Garcon ..are u serious??? stupessssssssssssss!!
@ a very good teacher….keep doing what you do….hopefully the teachers get the raise which they RIGHTFULLY DESERVE!!
@ well VERY WELL SAID!!….
as i often tell my friends the individuals with the skill and talent to be educators are often not the ones doing. And that is mainly due to the low payment of teachers in countries such as ours. Teachers work hard, not only to educate the future generation but also serve a role and molding and shaping their students. Yes their are some horrible teachers,but there are also those who work really hard you go out of their way to help their students. It is not fair that their salaries be one of the lowest paid in the country!!!! What is 5%, when we can afford so many other things!!!
I am a former teacher and I know exactly what it is like to live on a teacher’s salary, luckily for me I lived with my parents at that time and had no other responsibilities!!
good for them they put him back take what u get teachers
Big, big Gov’t. Where does Dominica get all that money to pay all those ministers? The Gov’t did not ask but took 50% increase not long ago. $27,000,000 for the 2009 election, plane tickets for diaspora to come just to vote and return next day. Everybody say teachers doing a thankless job. They eat, drink, pay bills, have children to take care of. Have mercy. While politicians get rich overnight, hard working, dedicated teachers end up naught after years of service taking care of and educating our children. 2% increase? have a heart. But they love Skerritt more than themselves and the children, so they will eventually accept anything PM gives. Reverse psychology will work again. But remember, UNITY IS STRENGTH. Teachers feel the heat, cause they are in the kitchen too. Cost of living has also gone up for them. Their standard of living has seriously gone down. How often do teachers travel on the State’s behalf? Teachers don’t get perks when they travel.
well well well r u ……………………………………… it better than nothing
All we get are your rewards are in heaven. Well when we get to heaven we won’t need earthly rewards. I have been working 10+ years. My salary is 1400 monthly. After my deductions because i have to live abot 800 goes to the bank. I have to pay bills and eat. Thankfully I am childless or i wouldnt be able to support the child. At work, we are providers of all sorts….we have to feed those that come to school hungry with money from our purse that’s already empty, we have to tend to cuts, bruises that sort of thing, sometimes without thinking of our own safety. We have to play counsellor, shrink, everything. We have to look for withdrawn children , see if we can spot molested childrenm you know that kinda of thing. Some of us stay back with children to help them. Markers, manilla, name it we have to get it. Staying up sometimes at past 12 midnight to prep. Yes some of us do prep. Everyday. Weekend you have your chores to do at home and still do your thing for the coming week. And some people grudge us summer holidays. If we didnt get that we’d all be mad.
Yes , some of us are lazy, but some of it is fueled by lack of motivation and a salary that will maintain a decent standard of living.
In general we have some hard working teachers. Some of us try our best to bring out the best in our Nation’s children so i believe we should get our just reward. I dont’ want to wait for heaven to get what
I deserve on earth.
We deserve better.
8% is alot for 1 year.. US corporate max is 5% and that’s for an excellent year(almost as rare as 4%). teachers up here in the US also fight for 8% increase over 2 yrs.. Which isn’t much but often more compared to corporate employees w/ similar salaries. Even if VAT is 15% then that would just mean all other govnt employees would need an 5-8% increase also but then again taxes pay their salaries so taxes would just go up more 2 meet the increase demands!
i think that there are some teachers who deserve more than 5% raise will there are some who dont deserve a rais,but lets be reasonable teachers and as we no everything now is politics and not countrys intrest,accept the 2% nowand next year push for the balance or even a little more be sure to start negotiations early. lets help our country move foward
didn’t skerrit say in 100 days he’ll give them promotions and 20% increase or something? lol, only an idiot would have believe that
The economy is hard on everyone. I am not a teacher but I know how hard SOME of them work. SOME don’t even care about the children, just the paycheck, true; however, they do deserve a raise. If a two percent is what can be given at this time I’d say go for it with the condition that another two or three percent will be given next year. When we want excellent results we should compensate for that. Did you know that some children are smarter than the teachers. Anyway, life is what it is. Give the teachers the raise that they deserve. Whatever the amount to satisfy the future of home let it be. Without the children there is no FUTURE. Watch Dog is right. Even if you WAS a teacher and you are NO LONGER you are NOT in the column titled RAISE. Roosevelt, as a former teacher yourself, you should know what is going on in the classroom. As Prime Minister, you do not have to struggle. Pay the teachers enough so they can support their families. The children are the FUTURE, treat them well so they can lead the way.
Unemployed in America.
To Garcon, I see you did not do well at school. If you had you would appreciate what the teacher does. My mother teaches and often a marker, manilla paper and other stuff are bought and we are denied KFC. But you see as she says she does it for us. We have all gotten scholarships from primary to tertiary level.. AS THE BEST TEACHER IN THE WORLD SAYS> ” I DO ALL THAT FOR MY CHILDREN”. TEACHERS DESERVE EVERY CENT. GOD BLESS ALL THE TEACHERS IN THE LAND.
Well D/ca teachers start with the 2% and work your way up, cost of living is extremely high in d/ca and our teachers should be paid well… and d/ca civil servants needs to cut off that monthly pay system, and pay their workers bweekly.. bcz bills don’t wait till the end of the month…
PM work with the DAT… i beleive if teachers are pad well they will perform well.
@ Garcon
That is very unfair to say. Teachers work hard and are some of the lowest paid employees in the land. I love teaching but would not do so becuase of the little bit of money they make.
You may say everything is not money, but is it fair to ask teachers to do with less than others in our society simple to educate children so they can go for their big salries, houses etc…
Back in the day people had a lot of respect for teachers, they would give them food from there gardens and whatever they had to show their appreciation. Nowadays that is no more. They even want to spit in the teacher’s face for correcting their children. And then we still want to pay them peanuts.
That is highly qaulified and educated people like myself who love dealing with children would stay away from the profession because you have to put your needs last when you do that. And you even have to take from the little money in your pockets to buy necessary supplies becuase in some schools you cannot get the basics.
So give the teachers what they are due. They deserve it.
The next level
Those teachers too pig! You don’t become a teacher with the hopes of making big money, you do it for the children. I wouldnt give them no bloody 8 percent.
I wonder what is the salary of a high school teachers
To: Dominican in BVI, a 5% should work well for the had working teachers here in DA yes, but i dont think you should be included in dat 5% since you have vacated your post under the pretence of studying at a non-recognised college in Tortola , get real girl, it not working for you downthere, come back and work and then you can claim that 5%, you disgust me!
A 5% will work well.
Good Luck teachers, the pm was a former teacher himself i hope u all get a 5% increase.
The vat is 15%, hope u get the increase. Stand Firm or have Protest action, teachers are important, we cannot do without em.
Something’s Happening…..
(please do not disapprove my comment ok DNO)