12 March 2010
	TEACHER UNIONS Sadtu's class monitor move By Carol Paton

The SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) wants to force smaller teacher unions out of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) to become the only teacher union able to bargain with government. This would dramatically increase Sadtu's power, which is already widely seen as an obstacle to improving the quality of education. In a recent letter to the ELRC, Sadtu president Thobile Ntola requested that the minimum union threshold for representation in the council be raised from 50 000 members to 100 000. This would bring the other four teacher unions close to disqualification. At present only Sadtu, with 240 000 members, qualifies to be in the chamber in its own right. Thobile Ntola The other four unions, among them the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) and the SA Onderwysersunie (SAOU), have banded together as the Combined Teacher Union in the chamber with a total membership of 108 000. Ntola, who is entertaining behind-the-scenes talks with representatives of other unions, says he is sensitive to the problems that could arise should other unions be pushed out of the bargaining chamber. However, it is also Sadtu's objective to strengthen its hand in bargaining. The proposal is not new, he says, but has been discussed for some time. "The issue is the unity of the workers. Sadtu's objective is to unite workers. One way of doing this would be to raise the threshold so that organisations that fall below it would be put out of the bargaining chamber. They would then have to look to other unions for co-operation," he says. Ntola says the divisions among teacher unions are apartheid-based. "There is absolutely no reason for these divisions any longer. There is one employer and one common enemy," he says. Without representation in the chamber, unions would not be able to represent members in any discussion on wages or conditions of service. Unions like Naptosa and SAOU have also, in the past, had a moderating influence on bargaining processes. Unlike Sadtu, which tends to regard itself as an industrial union, they see themselves as professionals, with a much lower propensity to militant industrial action. Ntola, who became Sadtu president late last year, says he is aware that if the threshold is raised, democracy could be a casualty. WHAT IT MEANS Higher threshold means fewer unions Fewer unions means more power for Sadtu "If they are pushed out, they would still have other rights, but not organisational rights. There would be consequences to that, which is why we are talking to them behind the scenes." Over the past year, Sadtu leadership has been engaged in attempts to rein in its membership, setting "non-negotiables" for teachers such as being present in class on time, teaching for five and a half hours a day and refraining from sexual harassment of learners. But it objects to the reintroduction of school inspectors, which would monitor schools and teacher performance.