In October the teachers union proved its power when it forced to government to yield to the majority of their eight demands - while at the same time getting interest on their deferred salary increase. It was masters class in brinkmanship negotiation, driven home by an 11 day school shutdown, the longest in recent memory. But now the strike is done, and teachers are back to the rhythms of the classroom. And maybe that's why a national rally and demonstration on Saturday didn't draw the thousands we saw in Belmopan six weeks ago. That's when the battle was red hot - but on the last Saturday in October, it was - can we say - Lukewarm? Jules Vasquez has the report:...
Jules Vasquez reporting
From the outset, the demonstration didn't impress. The teachers walked in two single files up unto the Belcan roundabout with a crowd we counted at a little more than one hundred.
They moved unto Belcan within minutes - only stopping city traffic very briefly.
By the time they reached cemetery road, the crowd had grown to just under 300 - notable, but surely not overwhelming for a union whose membership is in the thousands.
It was a national event, after all. And it seemed on this day - many teachers stayed back - at home.
Still, the union leadership was skipping to the beat by the time they got to Memorial Park
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Mr. President you guys are dancing in the street, is this a celebration for you all?"
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"Celebration because we've gotten the government to do what it did not want to do for a long time for many people in this country, we stood up for Belize and we'll continue to stand up for Belize because we love this country."
And if he sounded like a political leader more than a union leader, forcing political change is the mantle that the Teachers Union has had to take on as Belize's most powerful and effective union:
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"But at the end of the day if we make this country a better country for all of us, that is our goal, that is our objective, we must leave Belize a better place than we've found it."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"The most cynical interpretation will be, well if you guys were prepared to march on Saturday from the beginning and not take time out of school, then we wouldn't have lost those school days."
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"You are being syndical in deed, because what would be marching on a Saturday do? When you are trying to get something resolved, when you are fighting for the survival of your people and your country, you must do it where it is most effective. Had we been marching on Saturdays there would have been nothing. There would have been no such results as we have today."
But, with so much forced out of the Prime Minister, is there now a feeling amongst teachers of "mission accomplished?" That's what the size of today's crowd might seem to suggest:
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"You only have 300 people out here; you came out in hundreds not thousands."
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"The hundreds and thousands made possible what is happening today possible. If those thousands did not come out, yes we would have declared it a lost, but this has been a victory. Our people, our teachers are out here today because we believe in our cause. A number of our teachers work in rural communities and this being a payday weekend, they needed to be in town to pay their bills."
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"A critic would say, 'well your teachers they only leave school when it's time for them to get a half day off."
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"That is what critics would say but we know that it is different."
They know but on this day, it didn't show. Nonetheless, the message was really about the salary:
Luke Palacio, President - BNTU
"Pay the teachers their salaries because they are prepared to make up the time. That is the bone of attention."
And if those salaries aren't paid, then we can probably expect crowds far bigger than this next time.
The BNTU and the Minister of Education are still unable to agree on a format for their next meeting to discuss the salary deductions for striking teachers. The union wants 25 members of its National Council to attend; the Minister insists on only 5.
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