State demonstrated insensitivity in handling strike

In a discussion forum this week, I was reminded of the Latin Maxim Fiat justitia ruat Caelum, which translates to “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” This legal maxim couldn’t be more apt in the ongoing row between teachers and their employer. Justice must be done regardless of the consequences. It is true that paying teachers is expensive, but everything worth something always is.

The argument has been advanced that it is unsustainable to honour the court order directing TSC to pay a salary increment of 50 to 60 per cent. Yet a glance at the Auditor General’s report reveals there is more than enough to pay teachers if only graft can be reined in. At any rate, our MPs and some civil servants are some of the best paid in the world. Why did the unsustainability argument not apply to them? If it is unsustainable to pay teachers, it must also be unsustainable to continue paying king’s ransoms to some other public servants. Most importantly, the award is a result of a court process which the TSC itself initiated and which had come to its logical outcome. Let the heavens fall if they must, but the court order must be respected.

The Government, finding itself in quite the pickle, devised the most callous of strategies to break the teachers’ resolve and deny them what is rightfully theirs. Teachers have been threatened with sackings and withheld pay in what is a clear plan to starve them until they capitulate. When a government is ready to withhold food, shelter and clothing from a large segment of its population, simply to make a point, it is further proof that such a regime is indeed heartless. Even if teachers were on the wrong, which they are not, this is crossing the line.

As you may be aware, even during war, should you capture an enemy that had every intention of killing you; you cannot starve them to death. You must, according to the Geneva Conventions, still sustain them with bread and water. While ours is a government led by billionaires, the truth is that few of them made their fortunes by the normal operation of commerce as we know it. It is only men and women who happened upon easy fortune that, even after losing a court case, have the heart to starve our long suffering teachers.

This brings me to the unwarranted negativity directed towards the proposal by the Opposition to set up a subsistence account for the teachers. Having known the governments plan is to starve teachers, the Opposition proposed to collect donations from the general public to assuage the situation. The opposition is aware that the teachers must be able to sustain the strike if they are to succeed. So how do you do that?

Many of the so-called middle class survive from paycheck to paycheck. It is generally accepted that by the 15th day of every month more than half of the employed population ordinarily run out of money and start counting down to the next cheque. Salary advances and soft loans from friends are sought to get us to end month. One cannot describe the sort of anarchy that would prevail if this lot missed a whole months pay. Yet these same middle class made a mockery of the sustenance fund set up by the Opposition because for many their responsibility ends at firing off a couple of tweets in support of teachers.

Of course it was not going to be easy to collect enough to pay teachers their full salaries, but we are dealing with hostage situation here where a rogue regime has declared war on teachers and taken them prisoners; we are not expected to supply cake and Ale to the teachers, but we have a moral obligation to avail bread and water.