Union: Address concern of graduate teachers

The Star

PENANG: The National Union of the Teaching Profession wants the Government to urgently address the dissatisfaction of graduate teachers who feel that they will not benefit much from the salary increase next month.

Union secretary-general Loke Yim Pheng said long-serving teachers who obtained their degrees while in service would lose out in the salary increase for civil servants next month.

“This is because their seniority is based on the time they obtained their degrees and not from the day they served as teachers,” she added.

She said teachers who took up degree courses to upgrade themselves felt that their salary increase would be much less compared with non-graduates.

“For instance, teachers in the DG34 category who secured a degree are promoted to DG41 but are considered as junior teachers.”

These teachers will receive a 15% pay increase whereas non-graduate teachers with an equal number of years in service will receive a 25% raise, she noted.

“The non-graduate teachers get a pay rise of RM400 to RM500 more than the graduate teachers,” she said, adding that the union had received complaints from members.

Loke hoped the Education Ministry would take into account the total number of years of service of teachers, irrespective of when they obtained their degrees.

She said the union had sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Education Ministry and the Public Service Department on Thursday regarding the problem.