SACC Head Appeals for Truce Between Government and Unions

Bishop Mvume Dandala, President of the South African Council of Churches, made an urgent appeal today to both government and trade unions to break the current deadlock in settlement negotiations:

On behalf of our communities in which our children and simple, ordinary people are suffering the consequences of upheaval and turmoil, we plead for an immediate truce to be called between government and trade unions. Out of sheer concern whihc is shared by all organs of civil society, as churches--if need be--we are on stand-by to act as mediators in this deadlock.

Perhaps the involvement of teachers in industrial action is a pointer to how we as community members have let them down. Whilst it is the Government that is their employer, it is us that they serve. Their needs should be championed more by us. While we value the Government's committment to prioritise the budget as well as the need for teachers to be reasonably compensated, as ordinary individuals we do not understand what makes compromise impossible.

I consider it incumbent on us as churches to explore ways whereby we can assist our communities to intervene between the Government and the teachers so as to ensure that at no stage are our children put at a disadvantage.

Education is a call to our teachers to be in the forefront of the struggle to restore the power, strength and honour required for a stable democracy and respect for the processes that govern our institutions. In a sense the teaching profession is the midwife of a nation. There is not a single profession or vocation that cannot trace its birth to a classroom. Teachers are custodians of our children's future and, as such, they have the awsome responsibility that goes along with this task.

While strike action has its place in the democratic process, we must decry the manner in which our society has allowed the power of words to erode. The cornerstone of a democratic society has to be its ability to use and to respect words in an effort to settle differences through negotiation.

It is therefore alarming to see our teachers giving up faith in the power of words by embarking on industrial protest. We must urge our teachers and the government to rethink any actions that might jeopardise the future of our children, especially at this time of the year when they are preparing for examinations.

For further information: Val Pauquet (011 403 0004 or 082 784 7693)