Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education announced that it would be using a SmartStream payroll system to pay teachers. This would mean that teachers’ salaries would no longer go through the church-state managements giving the ministry full control. Today, the Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight, told the media that the system has already been rolled out in some government schools.
Joseph Waight – Financial Secretary: “It is an efficiency move, it makes life a lot easier when you are in the payroll system, then you only have to make a change, it should go much quicker, more accurate and less mistakes so it’s a positive move. We will hire more staff to take care of this and we are beefing up the capacity of the treasury to do this. It’s more work on one end but it’s well worth the effort.”
The move has been criticized as a form of union busting since it may affect whether teachers resort to industrial actions in the future with the ministry having direct control of their salaries.
