President of the Bahamas Union of Teachers Belinda Wilson, along with NCTUB President Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson speak with The Tribune outside of Cabinet yesterday. Photo: Paul Turnquest
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
MEMBERS of the Bahamas Union of Teachers were due to start conciliation talks this morning at the Ministry of Labour as a result of the six trade disputes that have been filed by the union.
The Bahamas Union of Teachers said in a statement today: "We would like to inform the public that there are many issues that we are concerned about as it relates to the protection of our members' rights and the condition of schools at the beginning of this 2013 school year.
"Although, we have requested the reassignment of two principals, in addition, members stood in unity today, as a show of solidarity for the following reasons:
- Threats by the Minister of Education
- Intimidation, victimisation, interference and discrimination by the Employer against union officers and members.
- Illegal deductions from teachers' salaries
- Attempts to change medical insurance benefits and premium.
- Breaches of the industrial agreement ie: reassignments and reclassification
- Millions of dollars owed to teachers
- School Repairs, health and safety issues
- Teacher Shortages
- Failure to post new teachers
"We do not take threats by the Minister of Education lightly and we will not sit by and allow him to take advantage of teachers. He has no grounds to cut anyone’s salary and if he does he will pay the price."
Conciliation talks started at 10am.
The process will be carried out by the technical team at the Ministry of Labour.
ON Monday we reported...
A MEETING was set for this morning between representatives of the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Department of Labour to work towards “conciliation” after BUT President Belinda Wilson filed six trade disputes against the government.
Ms Wilson said teachers will not engage in any more sit-outs in light of the scheduled meeting.
The disputes filed concern “harassment, intimidation and failure from government to exercise good faith in the Anatol Rodgers matter,” a case to propose the reassignment of the principal of Maurice Moore Primary School; the government’s “decision” to deduct monies from the group medical insurance of teachers and the reassignment, or lack thereof, of several teachers and shop stewards.
A representative from the Ministry of Education is expected to be present at the meeting which comes after an angry start to the week yesterday when teachers defied the orders of the Minister of Education by engaging in a sit-out at the request of the BUT and where Ms Wilson headed to the PM’s office to try to meet him.
Ms Wilson even warned Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald to “try it” after he threatened to cut the pay of those teachers on sit-outs.
Later she said the meetings and sit-outs across the country will stop for the time being.
Mr Fitzgerald had declared that money would be deducted from the salaries of teachers who didn’t show up to work by 8.45am.
Dozens of teachers gathered outside the Ministry of Education in the middle of the morning.
Ms Wilson, her team of 10 union members and the President of the National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas (NCTUB), Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson, went to the Cable Beach office of Prime Minister Perry Christie where they failed to secure a meeting with the PM after showing up without an appointment.
Believing they had secured a meeting with the PM, Ms Wilson was upset to instead meet the Permanent Secretary in addition to Investment Minister, Khaalis Rolle.
She said: “It was a waste of our time. We saw the Permanent Secretary and Junior Minister Khaalis Rolle so we told them we will await a call from the Prime Minister so we could speak with him directly and, in the event of the failure of the PM to meet with us today, we will continue our meetings throughout the Bahamas with our members.”
Asked for a comment on Mr Fitzgerald’s announcement he would cut pay, she told The Tribune: “Try it.”
She and her team had also failed to secure a meeting with Mr Fitzgerald who said yesterday: “I will not meet with the union until all teachers have reported to work, until there is calm in our school system and we can sit down like mature reasonable rational adults and address any concerns because there is no breach of the collective bargaining unit.
“The point I wanted to make is at the Ministry of Education, our primary function is to enhance our student outcomes and this year we’ve outlined a major set of initiatives which we intend would improve our student outcomes.
“I want to commend our 95 to 97 per cent of teachers who actually understand their moral obligation and reported to school this morning.
“I want to also state very clearly that there is no breach of the collective bargaining agreement and as such the actions of the union is unwarranted and irrational.
“The union had indicated that it has some two million dollars in cash to pay the salaries of teachers and I made it clear today that those teachers who did not report to work their salaries would be cut and if they continue to not report it to work their salaries will continue to be cut until we decide to take further action against them.
“But if the union sees it fit to use their two million dollars to facilitate the teachers who fail to turn up to work then that’s up to them. If that’s what they want to do with their money I’m sure the 97 per cent of teachers who reported to work will have a problem with that.
“I was extremely concerned that the president of the union said that my actions are being seen as bullying and I made the comment that the day when we in our country come to the point where reporting to work on time and having your employer remind you of your responsibility to report to work on time is considered bullying then we have a really serious problem in this country.
“And if that is the kind of leadership the union has for its members then it really leaves a lot to be desired.”
Mrs Isaacs-Dotson also released a statement on behalf of the NCTUB.
She said: “The National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) wishes to advise the public that it condemns the recent lockout of The Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology at the Anatol Rodgers High School.
“The way that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology handled the situation by calling the Royal Bahamas Police Force to the school is not in keeping with the spirit of democracy, industrial harmony, rights of workers, as well as the Industrial Agreement signed by the Bahamas Union of Teachers and the government of the Bahamas.
“This blatant disregard for workers¹ rights is another example of unfair and unequal treatment towards the Bahamas Union of Teachers by the employer, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and by extension the government of the Bahamas.
“The Congress, in keeping with accepted standards of industrial relations, knows that the matter could have been dealt with and resolved through social dialogue and meetings with both parties.
“The Congress calls on the Minister of Labour and National Insurance, Shane Gibson to take urgent and immediate steps to coordinate with his Cabinet colleague who has ministerial responsibilities for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and encourage him to meet with their partner in education, the Bahamas Union of Teachers.
“In keeping with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions signed by The Bahamas which speak to tripartism and, in particular, social dialogue between both parties, the Congress wishes to advise that it is only through these mechanisms and meetings with both parties that this matter will be resolved.
“The education of all Bahamian children is important to all workers in the country but the Congress will not tolerate one of its presidents being locked out of any workplace. We hereby call on the Prime Minister and, more specifically, the Minister of Labour and National Insurance, to ensure that this entire matter is resolved so that all parties concerned can have industrial harmony in the workplace. Failure to do so will result in the Congress calling on its affiliates to turn out in mass numbers to support the Bahamas Union of Teachers.”
Comments
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
lets see our last published average was a D ,now its so bad they won,t tell us and these teachers have the nerve to sit out ,,,,,,,,,,,basically school here is a 300 million a year baby sitting service for single mothers
Brenard 11 years, 3 months ago
How about, you go baby sit 300 million dollars worth of children. Let me know how it goes. Over population kills, especially if the budget is not up to par with that number.
242realtalk 11 years, 3 months ago
We have never had a published average grade, there is no such thing. The Minister rather than being what seems to be typical about all of the Ministers of this government should seek to speak and negotiate rather than bully and intimidate.
This does not need to blow up anymore than it is.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
we had a published average about the bgjse or whatever they call it now ,,,Ministers been too busy down around a certain cay where an invester wants approvals ,,,I wondered how come he was spending time down in the cays ,,then it started coming out ..
242realtalk 11 years, 3 months ago
No we did not have a published national average...It has never happened and under our system an impossibility.
What we do have is an average of individual grades as an example Math - C, English Language - C-, etc etc.
I do appreciate your sentiment though, however, I still maintain the Minister needs to stop being high handed. He should be adroit enough to use diplomacy to get what he wants done and stop trying to use political speaking points to achieve the same.
If these politicians ever lean the difference between the to we may actually make progress in the country.
242realtalk 11 years, 3 months ago
Rory, yes I made two spelling errors yesterday - lean should have be learn and to should have been two. As I started something came up at work and I rushed to finish it and did not spell check. I was busy until late in the night and only came back on a few minutes ago, otherwise it would have been corrected.
However, the words were used as I intended and if you do not understand them I suggest you use a thesaurus along with your dictionary. My mistakes were with the incorrect spelling, your inability to comprehend is on you.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
Be careful Helmet boy will block you as he claims to have done to me .......
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 3 months ago
I don't like the way they went about this...it seems like a bunch of people didn't like a principal and then set out to get the principal fired...I would have liked to have seen an orderly process where both sides were heard and a measured decision made. But it seems like the mob is reenergized and given extraordinary powers at every election, the newly elected then have a handful of rattlers of their own making to contend with for the duration of their term
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
The unions are extortionist and its about time we stand up to them ,,Geez we can,t even compete in the region b/c the cost of electricity etc ..We like to go on about how we built a big middle class ,we did it through overstaffed public service jobs and now we have to borrow and tax to keep it going ..In PGC previous term he changed the laws so managers can have a union so now every corp ,public and private had to deal w/ more unions . All of the indicators are telling us we can no longer absorb our run away birth rate w/ government jobs .Even the U/S birth rate is now stagnant as more families have less kids or put it off b/c they can,t afford it ..The PLP is figthing a monster they created..
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
yeah and its D and F
banker 11 years, 3 months ago
So if they admitted Teaching Assistants into the union as well, the acronym would be BUTTA.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
Report to work by 8.45 ..WTF when i was a kid we had to be there by 8 and the teachers were already there ..
Observer 11 years, 3 months ago
Now, one understands why so many of the students in the government public school system are unruly. Looks like they learned that bad behaviour from some of their teachers. The BUT president and cohorts must be shown that they will not have everything their way. And if they continue to disrupt the school system, transfer them elsewhere. Perhaps they can better serve in immigration.
John 11 years, 3 months ago
Lets see...they had the entire summer to get schools ready, teachers prepared and differences settled and when do they decide to do their shucking and jiving? On the first day of school with the returning students as a primary audience. Whatever happen to the days when back-to-school was a happy and exciting occasion, all the focus was on the students and their educational needs and all the battling between unions, teachers and the ministry was done behind closed doors and in a civilized way? Regardless of what the issues are with Belinda Wilson and the employer of her union members it doesn't give her permission to carry on like a crazy woman and dampen the spirits of hundreds of students.
ten195 11 years, 3 months ago
I hate to say this, but I think our kids are enjoying these little sit outs the teachers are doing, because they are now free to do what ever they want with out parental or adult supervision (Like that every stopped them in the first place). But truely this could not have been the private schools, because those teachers would have been out of a job sadly by the next day. I just don't understand why at the beginning of the school year something always happens to our schools, wheather its the teachers, unions, students etc. I mean seriously is this really what our Government education is coming to? Is this really how our kids in these Government school growing up will rememeber how instead of teaching, the teachers just want to complain and make noise and cause problems and confusion. Which makes me wonder if any teaching really goes on in these schools, if they have time to plan to walk off their jobs and meet during school hours! SERIOUSLY! And to top it off, if something were to happen to our kids because the teachers who were suppose to be in school watching them and teaching them, doing crap like this then what is going to happen then? Will they even stop and think of the consequence of their actions, or as usual find blame and point to their next door neighbour?
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
We are a country of about 300,000 people and although there is a disapropriate amount of children b/c of our irresponsible baby making ,,look at that friggin building for the ministry of education . its larger than a ministry of education for Dade county .As much as i complain about our bloated civil services w/ out it poverty and crime would be unimaginable .Now we are at the cross in the road where we can no longer borrow and tax to afford to absorb our prolific baby making on the public tit .There is no way we can continue to do what Jamaica and Haiti have done ,make more babies than jobs ,and not wind up like them ..IT IS IMPOSSIBLE ..
Brenard 11 years, 3 months ago
First of all, the Bahamas has way over 300,000 inhabitants. Maybe you may say around 300,000 REGISTERED residents.
Second, Bahamians are not the ones making more babies than job, it is the foreigners/non bahamians. Facts are vital. You can go to the public schools alone and weigh the percentage of haitian blood attending as proof.
Third, there are sufficient jobs, but everyone is out of role. The Government give jobs to persons for political advantage. Those persons as most know are not qualified and possess criminal hearts. If the distributions of jobs were fair and persons were seated based on earned qualifications/achievements, rather than politics/friends/family; you really think jobs would be an issue? If a person has 1 BJC then they should be given a 1 BJC job,not a position in customs, immigration, etc., just because of a vote or family/friend. They should be granted a job in ministry of works doing sanitation. You have any idea the amount of educated Bahamians with degrees out of the job in contrast to those uneducated ones who received political favor?
And, that is why our public service is corrupted.
So, only the governments and the people who voted those failed bodies in can be blamed. No one else.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
we Bahamians made 10,000 babies in the last 8 yrs ,,the hatian children generally do better in school . We make babies faster then our GDP can produce jobs we absorb it w/ overstaffed government corporations that we have to continue to borrow and tax to afford .Our public payroll is 2/3 of our yearly budget ,thats not pensions ,supplies ,etc We have hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded pensions to the public service . I don,t have to prove i,m right ,time will prove me right look at Haiti and Jamaica .Even the PLP is getting ready to privatize things ..
vlmarshall 11 years, 3 months ago
It would be very brazen of us to opine as to what should have been done and how it should have been done if we ourselves are not educators or close enough to educators to hear their daily cries as to the way business is conducted within the schools. Damn good teachers are held down by principles who are blinded by title and incapable and out of touch to do what is in the best interest of our schools. Programs are shoved aside, materials are needed and despite the claim of hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent to repair schools, some classrooms do not even have screens to keep insects from attacking students! And the audacity of a "minister of education" to tell teachers to show up or not get paid is a slap in the face. If the PM can seriously consider a new house of parliament, the lest that they can do is try to provide our educators with a work environment that will allow them growth, satisfaction and no fear of victimization all within reason.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
We spend 300million a year on education ,the largest single area in our budget . The teachers have premium health insurance they don,t contribute a cent for and pension they pay nothing for . The majority of students we turn out are basically illiterate , instead of gradually going to Bahamianization we made COB to produce "teachers "These are large expensive baby sitting centers
Brenard 11 years, 3 months ago
Blame the governments, not the teachers. Our schools are over populated with non bahamians who are rude and disorderly because they lack identity. The governments allow this to occur. That nature of behavior then falls upon our blood, thus corrupting them.
The government then urges persons to enter teaching regardless if they have the passion, skill and tolerance for it. That is where they went wrong. Persons today now uses fields like teaching and nursing as escape routes to gaining a job. Once you completed C.O.B,that job is guarantee, nothing else. Can you really blame the persons,or should you really blame the government? Customs, immigration, defence force and other public fields are handed out for votes and friends only.. This is just a way out for most persons and which is why THE NEW TEACHERS can not teach and are horrible in the classrooms.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
I do agree its jobs for votes and family
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 3 months ago
I understand your point. However, these educators must know that there is a proper way to conduct themselves and this is not it. PerryChristie should be meeting with BJN on the crime initiatives, with Leslie Miller to reduce our electricity costs but instead he postpones his ENTIRE agenda for the country to meet with Belinda Wilson? Does anyone see the problem with this? This "fix my tings now" approach by the unions has got to be squashed if the country is to get anything done collectively. Jerome Fitzgerald did the right thing. Perry Christie on the other hand, I have no idea what he's doing...
concernedcitizen 11 years, 3 months ago
I,m not a Fitzgerald fan ,but i back him on this .These unions are extortionist that add to the price of everything .When the politicians continue to cave to the unions for votes you end up bankrupt like Greece ,and we have no EU to bail us out ..
getrightbahamas 11 years, 3 months ago
good point
banker 11 years, 3 months ago
Yes but I would lay money that no one gets docked any pay out of this.
TheObjectiveVoice 11 years, 3 months ago
You can't blame the teachers for everything though. If the kids aren't studying at home and parents aren't encouraging them to study, how are they going to pass their exams. It all has to do with what goes into the brain and what's going to come out. If you put nothing in, you get nothing out. Too much time on social websites, playing computer games... listening to Ipods... television...and in Grand Bahama, especially, too many young people are out far too late at night without adult supervision, dressed like they're looking for what they aint put down. I am not a teacher but they can't take the total blame for the national average. Our parents have to make their kids a priority and ensure that they have a study period at home and not so much television time... Teachers disseminate information. That's it. It's up to the student to do all in his/her power to retain it.
stillwaters 11 years, 3 months ago
Seems like a relay race going on here; everybody passing the blame baton on to somebody else, for the fact that our educational system is failing the students and the teachers! Write about suggestions on how to fix this, but finger pointing and fighting is not going to do this.
banker 11 years, 3 months ago
If I were in a position of power, I would raise the teacher's salary to a minimum of $50,000 per year with generous raises every year. However, they would be tested and held to standards. If they don't speak the correct English and use the Bahamian patois, they would be fired. They would be fired if they do not take teacher upgrade courses themselves. They would be fired if students left their classes not knowing the curriculum that they were supposed to teach. This is how it should work in a country that works. However ours is a country that doesn't work.
As another poster pointed out, the education system is a babysitting service for teenage single mothers who don't give a damn about their children's education. So, I guess it really doesn't matter that our teachers are paid so poorly. It behooves the government to keep the school leavers dumb and unemployable, because there are no jobs in this monolithic economy. Very sad situation,
Observer 11 years, 3 months ago
Hey, everyone here is well spoken; but you have missed the boat. Those teachers who were at the minister's office compound yesterday without the expressed permission of their employer, have set a very bad example for all other employees. Their emotion supercedes their sense of responsibility to their posts. They 'temporarily' abandoned their posts. They are paid to hold down their posts and perform to the given standard of same. They failed; now we get to grade them: "F".
TheObjectiveVoice 11 years, 3 months ago
I also agree with this as well. I sent my five-year-old to school and someone had better been keeping an eye on her. If someone had happened to my child during school hours when her teacher should have "legally" been there, there would have been hell to pay. Believe that. if a planned demonstration was organized, I would have found a babysitter and let her sit that day out; but if they're suppose to be in school, someone had better been there to teach my kid.
imjustsaying 11 years, 3 months ago
I think it's wonderful to see how "interested" parents/guardians are in the "education" of (their) children, now if only we can see the same "interest" during the school year and the same diligence to want to "get things resolved" when a Parent-Teacher Conference is called or when parents/guardians are asked to assist in some way i.e. checking to make sure that homework is completed, etc
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