| Earlier in the news, we told you about the compromise that the Minister of Education proposed to the BNTU to ensure that the teachers who went on strike will still be paid for their 11 strike days. Well, defusing those tensions is important because if things come to a head again, the teachers could end up going back on strike.
So right now, the teachers have the Deputy Prime Minister's proposal, which was delivered this evening, but they also have to consider that if they can't reach an agreement their pay will be docked. Earlier in the day, the Chief Education Officer, Dr. Carol Babb, sent out another memorandum to the managing authorities of the schools. In it, she gives step by step guidelines on how they should go about docking the pay for the teachers who went on strike. They are advised to take the entire month's salary for a teacher, divide it by 31 days, and that amount is what that teacher earns for one day. Since the teachers were on strike for 11 days, the amount for 1 day should be multiplied by 11. Dr. Babb's memo says quote, "Please note that the entire (amount) should be deducted in one payment" End quote. That means that the Ministry is expecting that the teachers would not get any financial ease with partial deductions.
Yesterday, She and CEO David Leacock held a press briefing on the ministry's stance to dock the teacher's salary:
Dr. Carol Babb, Chief Education Officer
"The government is basing this decision on the fact that we give salaries based on services rendered. The teachers were warned that if they choose to strike, there would be consequences and we are withholding salaries because services were not delivered by those teachers who choose to strike."
David Leacock, CEO - Ministry of Education
"The decision of the government of Belize is that we withhold our contributions in those instances where the teachers were on strike. So it's the teachers who were on strike that would be affected ultimately, unless of course managing authorities have it within their wherewithal to pay. But from our perspective, we are paying for a service and the government is paying for a service and if a service is not rendered, then you have the right to not pay for it. I think that would establish in the ruling on claim number 85 in 2005 where this issue arose before."
Reporter
"But I don't believe people were expecting that their salaries would actually be docked."
Dr. Carol Babb, Chief Education Officer
"Well I believe the contrary, because a number of teachers were saying that they were willing to make the sacrifice for their salary to be docked and we have been informing them and reminding them of rule 102 which says that if you take industrial action, meaning if you go on a strike, there is the possibility that your pay may be docked and they say that they are willing to do that."
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