18 Jul 2013

Amid strike, Solomons teacher union head resigns

7:03 pm on 18 July 2013

The head of the Solomon Islands National Teachers Association, Samson Faisi, has resigned as President following a threat by the government to suspend the union.

The government warned SINTA of possible deregistration because he continued as its president after losing his job as a teacher last November.

The resignation comes amid the third nationwide teachers strike this year.

Mr Faisi says the Registrar of Trade Unions gave SINTA an ultimatum and he was asked by SINTA to relinquish the position.

"Basically they based it on personal grounds against me in order to suspend SINTA if I remain as the president. So as a responsible union, as a responsible person, I don't want to see that happen to the union that represents 8,000 plus teachers."

Samson Faisi says he will now assume the vacant position of industrial relations officer, to liaise between the union and the government regarding the current strike action.