A TRADE UNION LEADER has come out in support of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) in its quest to have principal Jeff Broomes separated from the Alexandra School.
Caswell Franklyn, who is a founding member of the Unity Workers’ Union, said on Wednesday that the teachers and Broomes have been at loggerheads for too long and that the Ministry of Education had been “more than tardy” in dealing with the matter.
“It is embarrassing for the Ministry [of Education] to come out and say that this thing only happened in December, and they need more time. What was happening with them – they went to sleep?” he asked.
Franklyn said the BSTU had given the situation time in the past and nothing was done, and if it did not take action now, the matter would continue to languish.
The veteran trade unionist was not of the view that the BSTU had violated the Grievance Procedure, as indicated by the Ministry of Education and General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers Dennis Clarke.
He said the Ministry and Clarke might have seen “may” in the act as “shall” and took the stance they did.
Franklyn does not think that arbitration or mitigation will work in this instance.
“I think the best thing that they are asking for is the removal of the head teacher, and I think that’s the problem. If that goes, the problem goes. You don’t want mediation, you don’t want arbitration, you need to use the Pensions Act and send him home. You can send him and give him his pension early,” he stated.
On Thursday veteran trade unionist and general secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Sir Roy Trotman, threw its support behind the BSTU. He said the BWU was prepared to hit the streets in protest alongside the BSTU.
Sir Roy said the BWU was aware that there “have been festering problems at Alexandra going back several years” and that advisers to Broomes had rejected an offer of mediation from himself and Denis Depeiza, general secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) at the last minute.
“These problems are now made even worse.
My solemn judgement is that the relationship is fractured beyond repair,” said Sir Roy.
The NUPW is firmly in Broomes’ corner, while the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) up to Thursday was still undecided on the matter. (YB)
