On Friday we showed you teachers in Orange Walk and Corozal rallying for their pay increase, and also rallying against the government. The rallies continue this Friday in Belize City, where the teachers are hoping for a large turnout - which could mean that your child's school will be closed. Today, education Minister Patrick Faber told us that he is still not convinced that the rallies need to shut down school in each district that it moves to:
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"I still maintain the fact that schools need to be close down and that kind of flexing needs to happen. I believe that the relationship between certainly the Ministry of Education and the BNTU is a good one, but I believe that the relationship between the wider bodies that were involved in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations and the Government of Belize, even at the highest level with the Prime Minister, very health and continues to work well, so that if that is the issue the 30% salary adjustment or anything else that was on the table as it relates to that Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation then I don't see the need for it."
"As your newscast has said and as I've heard the president say at intervals, even though I'll tell you and you can be a better judge as you were out there - 90% of what they said on the rostrum had to do with salary adjustment. Somebody is not getting the message, but if it is as they say, that this is about the larger issues that are facing us as a nation, that the government, they believe is not handling at all, then my question is are we really at that point where we need to interrupt schools on a continuous basis for this to happen. Given especially what I've said in our release from the ministry that we've lost so much valuable time already with the rains and the floods and other causes. Can we not discuss this in another way? Or is it that you're just trying to flex your muscle and say we are the big bad mighty BNTU and we will do this as a result of getting notice in every other area."
Faber also told us that the teachers who participated in the Corozal and Orange Walk rallies will not be penalized in any way. He added that if the Ministry reaches that decision about future rallies by the BNTU, it will not be political in any way, it will certainly not be taken without thorough deliberations on the implications.
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