BSTU: We were at the meeting

President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman says they were represented at the ministerial meeting called this morning at the Ministry of Education to try to solve the ongoing Alexandra School dispute.
Redman was responding to comments made earlier this morning by Minister of Education Ronald Jones who charged the union’s actions were a gross insult and the height of offensiveness.
Jones said the BSTU did not send a representative to the meeting, but instead, sent someone to record the deliberations.
Phil Perry, a past president of the BSTU, attended the meeting but was subsequently asked to leave.
In response, Redman said: “We sent a registered member of the BSTU. ….He was our legitimate and valid emissary. He entered the meeting, apologized for being late and stated that he wanted to record the presence of the BSTU at the meeting. Having made that statement, to his great surprise pandemonium broke loose and he was asked to leave the meeting.
“We want urgently to meet. We want this matter resolved and we want to clarify beyond the shadow of a doubt that the BSTU did turned up, in the form of our representative Mr Phil Perry…  we have explained why our officers could not be there  – because the implications of our presence at such a meeting and how it would compromise us and our stand and we were there…” she said.
Redman said their representative was there “to keep a watching brief.” (CM)