THE Ministry of Education has yet to give the Fiji Teachers Union a firm timeline for restoring the salaries of 134 teachers whose employment is being verified.
FTU general secretary Muniappa Goundar told this newspaper yesterday the union expected payment to resume as soon as each affected teacher’s employment, appointment and documentation had been verified.
He said teachers should also receive all salary arrears properly due to them.
“We will continue pressing the ministry for a clear and specific timeframe rather than allowing legitimate teachers to remain unpaid indefinitely,” Mr Goundar said.
The union’s call comes as questions mount over the ministry’s payroll controls following Education Minister Aseri Radrodro’s disclosure that 13 “ghost employees” had remained on the payroll without being flagged earlier.
Mr Goundar said the ministry needed to explain how an employee whose contract had expired was able to remain on the payroll and receive salary payments until pay 18/2026.
“This is precisely the question that needs to be answered,” he said.
Mr Goundar said the FTU supported the ministry’s efforts to verify its payroll and prevent public funds from being improperly paid.
However, he said the situation raised concerns about the effectiveness of the ministry’s human resources, payroll and verification systems.
He said the concerns were heightened because the verification exercise followed recommendations in the Auditor-General’s 2024 report.
“The ministry needs to explain what controls were previously in place and why these discrepancies were not detected earlier.”
The FTU is now pressing for a clear timeframe for the restoration of salaries to verified teachers and payment of outstanding arrears.
