Email

Print

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"We need to be thankful to the teachers of this country who stood up and forced the government to do the right thing. The chamber has been crying out about transparency and accountability and they did nothing. All they were doing was just talking. The PSU and the other people, they've done nothing but here we have the BNTU that stood up and said no, they drew the line. Now we fight out now that no other than the deputy Prime Minister who was a former teacher, has decided that he's going to punish the teachers and that he's going to teach them a lesson. Just imagine the month before Christmas, this government is threatening to take away almost a third of the salaries of the teachers just before Christmas. Many of these teachers are single mothers, many of them have mortgages they owe the bank, they have children in school, they have expenses to pay and the deputy Prime Minister a former teacher, is threatening to punish them just before Christmas. Where's the compassion in this man who now aspires to be the Prime Minister of this country? We went with a message to the BNTU that we support what they have done, that we are very proud of what they have accomplished and that we are going to stand up with them and to insist that the government pay the full salary to the teachers. Well I am hoping that the Prime Minister would step in and do the right thing. I know what he has been saying but he has been saying that for everything and to the end then he gives in. So I'm hoping again that good sense will prevail on the Prime Minister and that he will do what is right."

PUP Senator and attorney for the teachers union Eamon Courtenay has written the government demanding payment and threatening a constitutional lawsuit if no response was received by yesterday. Today education Minister Faber told us that neither he nor the Attorney General will respond.