Teachers’ representative unions have said they stand ready to open, genuine dialogue with the government over the ongoing industrial action.

Eight unions released a joint statement expressing willingness to resolve the prolonged stand-off between workers and the employer. The statement read in part:

Teacher union leaders are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue any time from now to end the current logjam..

(The) Public Service Commission or the government should take teachers’ plight seriously and stop this tomfoolery of playing hide-and-seek with the lives of teachers in particular and of the innocent learners.

Teachers remain incapacitated as nothing has changed. This means our members will not be able to

report for duty anytime soon until the government faithfully engages teachers’ unions.

Teachers refused to return to school when schools were reopened on 28 September after they were prematurely closed in March when the country recorded its first coronavirus case.

They are vowing not to return to work if the government has not met their demands which include the restoration of their 2018 salaries when they were earning about US$500.

Like many other government workers, they are currently earning an equivalent of US$30 on average.

More: Daily News