Teachers who had their pay docked after attending meetings called by their representative body, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), will fight to the end for their pay to be restored.
BUT President, Pedro Shepherd made this clear yesterday, stating that the matter will never be laid to rest until the affected teachers “get back every last cent”.
Addressing the joint BUT and Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) meeting held at Solidarity House, he shared with members that the Union wrote the Ministry of Education no less than four times on the matter, and to date has not had a single reply.
He recalled meeting with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and senior officials of the Ministry together and separately on the matter, and still they have gotten no resolution.
“The Union received two favourable legal opinions from its lawyer and had our lawyer write the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry outlining the facts of the matter and seeking restoration. All of those efforts were in vain,” said the frustrated Union leader.
Shepherd also recalled the May 31st, 2016 meeting held at the Ministry, chaired by the Permanent Secretary with the main agenda item being docking of pay.
“… We raised the following – Firstly, the Trade Union Act stipulates that Executive Members of Unions were exempt from the abatement of pay in such circumstances. Secondly, who was supposed to give permission for teachers to attend meetings, because we are always of the view that the principals in the schools give permission. Thirdly, we also noted that it was not custom and practice for teachers to have their salaries docked as we cited the Alexandra Secondary School case, where teachers were absent from work for three weeks and did not get their salaries docked…The Union also used the opportunity to state that the action by the Ministry was setting a bad precedent, especially for Trade Unions who operate under a voluntarist system.”
Shepherd said that in turn the Permanent Secretary drew attention to section 22 of the Code of the Conduct of the Public Service cap. 29, which states that officers should not paid for any day or portion of the day when they are on strike. However, the BUT President once again stressed that at no time did his Union declare or informed the Ministry that strike action was being taken.
“The BUT had never declared a strike and if we did declare a strike, there are requirements by law and the P.S would have had to act,” he pointed out.
“Let me reaffirm our position on this matter to say that it will be fought to the end. There can be no cordial relations between us and the Ministry of Education with this matter unresolved.”
BSTU President, Mary Redman also shared her view that the Union must make certain provisions for their members.
“It is clear that unless attitudes and behaviours change drastically from our employers, we as teacher trade unionists are heading for a major showdown with them. Members need insurance in these circumstances,” she stressed.
Redman therefore advised the BUT to establish a “strike fund”.
“We in the BSTU have a strong “strike fund”. Our advice to the BUT is that if you don’t have one – hold a special General Meeting, get the permission from your membership, transfer funds from one account to another, and establish such a fund…It will be crucial in the fight as we move forward”. (TL)
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