The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRESIDENT of the Bahamas Union of Teachers Belinda Wilson said the union is actively reviewing the government’s proposal.

The union had previously delivered a seven-day ultimatum for the government to sign off on a full industrial agreement that would benefit more than 3,000 of its members.

Union members were set to take industrial action on August 22 as the seven-day ultimatum expired.

In June, union members voted unanimously to take industrial action. However, no action was taken because consideration was given to internal exams, external exams, and report cards.

When asked by reporters on Friday how close the union is to finalising the industrial agreement, Ms Wilson explained that the union was in negotiations with the government.

“Well as you know we would’ve been to the table now for over three years,” she said. “Yesterday (Thursday) we spent from 11am to about 6.20pm making sure that we covered all of the areas we did not have agreement on.

“I got a final draft from the Ministry of Education officials this morning (Friday) and I am awaiting a few more documents and at 4 o’clock today I will be having a general membership meeting and the membership will decide whether we accept the government package. We are talking about the full industrial agreement or if we will have industrial action on Monday.”

“Everyone is speaking about the salary increases that the government would have given, but the industrial agreement for the Bahamas Union of Teachers is more than just a salary package, so we have a number of terms and conditions of service that we have been advocating to have changed,” she told reporters.

Ms Wilson explained that the curriculum, school safety, salary increases and other benefits are inclusive of the agreement.

The union’s president also said she is not confident that school repairs will be completed in time for the upcoming school year.

“I am not confident that all the repairs will be done,” Ms Wilson said. “Every year I do my own school repairs tour and look at what is happening. We already visited T A Thompson, which is doing massive work, but I must say, the contractor, he has a large number of workers that are there, and they are working around the clock.

“Hopefully they will have the classrooms, the restrooms – which will be the main areas for the students and teachers ready.”

She said she has been informed that there will be some areas of T A Thompson not ready in time for the reopening of school, however, the information will be disseminated to teachers and staff.

And she urged the government to communicate, so they can make the necessary provisions.

“What the union asks and expects, is for communication to come to us, so once we know which schools are not going to be ready and that’s communicated to us, and we are able to say that to our members then we can work on alternative sites,” she told reporters. “So, when you don’t communicate with us then you will have an adversarial relationship with us, or you will have action taken in those schools if we are not certain as to what is supposed to happen.”

Ms Wilson said if the government fails to communicate with the union, they will make a stand against going into any school that is considered to be unsafe.