After police, teachers must pay back wages

18 March 2005

BRUSSELS – Numerous teachers have been ordered to pay back part of their salary as a result of an administrative error by the French Community, it was reported Friday.

Last week, many teachers were shocked to find in their mailboxes a letter ordering the repayment which authorities said would be retroactive for the past five years.

Although the letters were dated April 1, Le Soir newspaper reported, it was unfortunately no April Fool’s joke.

One woman who has been working as a teacher in Charleroi for the past four years said she was ordered to reimburse some EUR 2,700.

“It’s unacceptable because for the last few years I myself have called three or four times to find out which scale should be applied,” she said, adding that the administration made the adjustment.

Still, she was luckier than others, who have been instructed to reimburse as much as EUR 20,000.

Fearing they may lose their jobs, many of the teachers have tasked their unions with starting negotiations with the French community administrative authorities to try to work out a solution.

Besides teachers, thousands of police officers have been victims of another administrative error and ordered to pay back part of their salary as well.

The over-payment problem in that case arose when several officers opted for a new employment statute that entered into force on 1 April 2001 during a reform of the force.

Subject : Belgian news