Valies: “Is Jozefzoon suffering from dementia?”

“The information that state advisor Eddy Jozefzoon gave at a press conference on Monday night is not correct,” said Union Chairman Wilgo Valies. Times of Suriname was not invited to Monday’s press conference where it was said that the union wants 73% of the government’s average earnings to go to the teachers. Wilgo Valies, chairman of the Teachers’ Association (BvL) and the Alliance for Teachers in Suriname (ALS), expressed disbelief and pointed out that he wonders if Eddy Jozefzoon is suffering from dementia. “What is Jozefzoon talking about? If the union were to demand 75%, there would be nothing left for the other state employees,” said Valies who added that Finance Minister Gillmore Hoefdraad had explained that 27% of the government’s earnings go to the teachers and that the other state employees get 55%. “The union has not demanded 73%.” The state advisors announced on Monday that they have advised the government to enforce the no work-no pay policy against teachers who attend the union meeting that was scheduled for February 15. The union chairman pointed out that the government is resorting to various tactics to scare teachers. “If the employer does this, it will be in violation of agreements that have been reached and the union will protest against that. The union has the right to inform its members,” said Valies who added that the union entered into consultations with the state advisors during the past 2 weeks and that there were no negotiations. Valies made it clear that the union always remained consistent in its approach but that the government remained reluctant to talks about the wages.

“Jozefzoon has often said that he does not want to negotiate and he has proven his point recently,” said Valies. “Whenever we want to adjust the wages, the radically reject it. Every cow understands that the current wages are unacceptable. The employer does not want to submit to law and order and that is why we are urging all teachers to protest against that. It has taken way too long to try to convince Jozefzoon that the starting salary of a teacher can’t be the same as the starting salary of a school principal because the principal has a bigger responsibility which must be expressed in the wage system. That man is not willing to listen. Although we have great arguments, nobody wants to listen to us. Jozefzoon does not want to negotiate and that it unacceptable. It is against conventions,” said Valies who added that the union is sticking to its belief that the employer must comply with conventions and the laws of the nation. “The judge has made it clear that a solution must be found for the future.”