THERE APPEARS TO be a stand-off between the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Ministry of Education, with both sides remaining adamant about their positions.
Despite the demand from the ministry that they return to work “immediately”, protesting teachers at Alma Parris and Parkinson Memorial secondary schools will be away from school today and tomorrow.
Teachers were at the BUT’s Merryhill, St Michael headquarters for the second consecutive day yesterday and president Pedro Shepherd said the action, which was restricted to the first part of the school day, would continue until such time as they got the required response from the ministry. More than 30 teachers from both schools were at the union yesterday.
In response to criticism from principal of Parkinson Jeff Broomes that no notification was sent to him or the ministry about the protest, which started on Tuesday, Shepherd said the latter was not “formally” informed about Tuesday’s action.
“The ministry was aware because we know that communication went out through GIS (Government Information Service) indicating that there was likely to be this action, but we did not formally write. My question, however, to the authorities is to tell me whether or not there is any legal requirement for us to write the ministry to give a timeline for when we are going to take protest or industrial action? If I can get that answered, I will be very willing to comply,” Shepherd told the DAILY NATION.
He later hand-delivered two letters to the ministry outlining the union’s intention to declare a dispute between the BUT and the ministry. One was addressed to Permanent Secretary Cecile Humphrey and the other to Acting Chief Education Officer Karen Best.
“We are going to have some form of action . . . for the rest of the week. If a satisfactory response is not given by the end of the week, then the union reserves the right to take whatever action it deems necessary to get the type of response that it requires from the Ministry of Education within a given period. Failing that, it will go to another level,” he stated.
Action condemned
It could not be determined whether the letters were dropped off before the ministry issued a statement to the Press yesterday evening, but the ministry condemned the action taken by the BUT on Tuesday and yesterday “in the strongest possible terms”.
“The ministry considers the action as not in keeping with the sound industrial relations practices which have evolved in this country for over 50 years . . . . The ministry stresses that this withdrawal of labour is tantamount to a strike. As a result, like any strike/withdrawal of labour, which fails to follow the proper industrial relations practice, there are consequences of which the employee should be aware.
“The ministry again takes this opportunity to encourage the teachers at both schools to return to work immediately,” the statement said.
The union sounded its intention to continue the protest as the six-week deadline given the Personnel Administration Division, which expires next Tuesday evening, looms.
While no definitive plan of action had been articulated, there were hints that the full membership would be called out if both agencies defaulted.
The members from Alma Parris, who have similar issues over a longer period, are in solidarity; but the previously silent teachers from Parkinson, who spoke in the past through the BUT president, were very vocal yesterday.
Statements
They went through all the reported statements that Broomes made on Tuesday, which were highlighted in the Press yesterday, and responded them.
When a NATION team visited Parkinson yesterday afternoon, Broomes was not on the compound, and acting deputy principal Barbara Bovell sent a message saying she was busy managing the school and that an appointment would have to be made for today.
At Alma Parris, principal Valdez Francis said they were managing with the resources they had. He said he had received no communication from either the BUT or the ministry relating to teachers being away for the morning periods.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was called yesterday evening by the parent-teacher association at Parkinson to which the umbrella National Council for Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) was invited.
Head of the umbrella body, Rhonda Blackman, said they wanted to chart a way forward as they looked for a speedy resolution to the issues.
Stating that the matter had gone on for “too long”, Blackman said the children were suffering and education was being compromised.
She said they recognised that teachers could not teach effectively if they were unhappy, but they were looking for a “win-win” solution that would make the environment at Parkinson conducive to learning.
yvettebest
@nationnews.com
