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Today, the BNTU Stann Creek Branch President scolded Faber calling his comments in the House of Representatives misleading. She said that he was twisting the truth because he, Faber, knew that his ministry granted them permission to get the time off a very long time ago:

Nadia Martin Caliz, President BNTU - Stann Creek
"Minister is a politician also and we know what politicians do, they twist the truth. One of the things I want to provide Channel 7 with before you leave from here today is a schedule that comes from the Ministry of Education giving rural teachers from Corozal to Toledo time off at the end of the month and some of the have half day, some of them have an entire day. In the Stann Creek District only 8 of our schools that are all the way down south will get tomorrow off. Every other school will be open and classes will take place as usual."

"But you what hurts me, when the Prime Minister who said as it pertains to George Fraser - talks about teachers should be telling the truth actually echoed the same sentiment like Minister Faber. I said wow, are they that desperate to make Stann Creek looks bad. Do you always think that this area would be a weak area that you all will always be able to control and divide? One thing with unionism in Dangriga when it comes to BNTU - no politics divide us, no propaganda divide us. We will not be divided and you all tried your very best to tell this country (I want you to say it as it is, don't cut my words) that all my teachers will be taking the entire day off tomorrow when you Patrick Faber, Honorable Patrick Faber knows that is not true. But then again you said some teachers are not good, so maybe a teacher taught you the wrong thing that both of you don't know the difference between one and two, so this is one and this is two and we are not taking two days - we are taking today. You know why we shift? Because the president couldn't be in Dangriga and Toledo at the same time, so we had to come a day earlier and members agreed to make that shift and then go back to classes tomorrow. So deceiving the nation... I am not going to say that it hurts me, it just shows how desperate you all are."

Daniel Ortiz
"Ma'am, how many schools are there in Stann Creek?"

Nadia Martin Caliz, President BNTU - Stann Creek
"We have a total of 36 schools in the Stann Creek District and only 8 and I will give you the black and white before you leave to show that I don't have time to be playing games with the minister or with our leader of the country."

This evening, she sent us a copy of that list, and we must make a correction to her comments. She said that only 8 of the 32 schools in the Stann Creek District were granted a full day for payday leave. After reviewing the document for ourselves, we found that it was actually 13 of 35 schools which were granted a full day leave. 12 of the remaining 22 get a half day leave, and 10 get no leave at all.

Bottom line? 13 schools will get four days off; and 12 will get three and a half days off.

But, whatever the case, the Stann Creek Branch President threw her own stone back at the Minister of Education. She said that the Ministry is guilty of releasing the pay for the Stann Creek teachers very late in the day, wasting their time while they wait for the money to be deposited. She claims that sometimes it is so late that it doesn't arrive until the next Monday after it is due, putting the teachers out for an entire weekend:

Nadia Martin Caliz, President BNTU - Stann Creek
"Most of my teachers are not being paid on that last Friday until like after 2-3. Some of them don't see their salaries until Saturday or they go and check and ask for time off and of course you have to fill them for half day to get their business done on Monday. According to the managements, government is not sending the money to them on time. So, tomorrow you will see that same problem again because every last Friday we get a lot of calls. I visited the bank with members and their salaries are not there. It's like the teachers are begging for what is theirs."