ELRC 202324 Annual Report

EDUCATION LABOUR RELATIONS COUNCIL | 2023/24 ANNUAL REPORT

Four conciliations of 16 were finalised. A total of ten of 24 arbitrations were finalised. The employer also facilitated two workshops on the employment equity issues as invited by one of the Parties to the Chamber. All these were done to empower educators and reduce the rate of grievances and disputes. Performance on the finalisation of grievances plummeted in the second and fourth quarters. In the third quarter, only one out of 13 grievances were finalised. In the fourth quarter, no grievances were finalised because the designated employee was on sick leave. Most disputes and grievances were generally related to promotions/demotions/probation and appointments. Safety in Schools A total of 103 departmental officials trained school representatives on the Provincial Schools Safety Guidelines by the end of March 2023. Approximately 904 schools were linked to police stations as indicated by the monitoring tool of the third quarter. The review of the PSSG (Provincial Schools’ Safety Guidelines) manual was to be finalised during the third quarter and be taken to print before distribution to districts. Two districts, namely Sekhukhune South and Waterberg, had not finished their training on the PSSG. Training of the 212 Independent and 35 LSEN schools, Principals, SGB chairpersons and one Board member was set for February and March 2024. Teacher Well-Being The employer continued to implement the teacher well-being programmes which included attendance of victims of injuries and diseases on duty victims, reaching employees through medical screenings. A total of 721 employees in five districts attended the STI Condom Week, and the Candlelight Memorial sessions were attended by 749 employees. A total of 4 266 employees were reached with wellness information sessions held during Mental Health, Financial, Reintegration, HIV/AIDS Life Skills, Men’s Forum and Sports/Fun days.1350 employees attended the Cancer awareness sessions.—The employer Coordinated HIV Testing Services (HTS) and motivated employees to test for HIV. A total of 2 360 employees were provided with HCT (HIV testing, Counselling and Treatment), 36 with STI testing, and another 36 did TB testing. Wellness requests and referrals of employees were attended to: 120 for EAP, seven for HIV and five for PILIR. A total of 157 injuries on duty and 40 for diseases on duty were recorded. Approximately 264 Premises were inspected and 162 were compliant with the safety standards whilst 102 were not. Five premises were served with the prohibition notice not to occupy due to multiple contraventions. Five Safety Committee meetings were held and attended by 469 targeted people. Early Childhood Development As part of professional development to Gr. R Practitioners, the province provides a bursary for a Diploma in Gr.R and B.Ed in the Foundation Phase with NWU. A total of 50 Grade R practitioners were granted a bursary and accepted to study B.Ed Foundation Phase in 2023 with NWU. They started in the second year of study since they received 180 credits from the Diploma in Grade R which is equivalent to a full year of study. The Department will continue to fund 41 practitioners who performed well. The nine practitioners who did not perform well had to re-register and fund themselves for the 2024 studies, however, they will be considered for funding by the Department in the following year, provided they perform well. NWU was also willing to accept them. For purposes of Curriculum Development, the Province developed training materials for Grade R that were endorsed by the SACE for the CAPS training.—The issue of conditions of service for Gr. R practitioners was still being taken care of by the HRD work stream at the national level.

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