7 News Belize

BNTU And Minister Will Seek To Mediate Differences About Cutting Strike Pay
posted (December 16, 2016)
All this week, we we've been telling you about the school managers who are insisting that classes resume January 3rd after the Christmas break. That will allow the schools to make up 4 days lost in October's 11 day teachers strike. The Ministry and the Managing Authorities say that this is the best formula to reach the mandatory 180 school days. The teachers union - on the other hand - says that teachers aren't prepared to cut their Christmas break short to do this.

Today, we got a chance to speak with the Union about that stalemate, but, first, we'll you why they were back in the Supreme Court. Their lawsuit against the Ministry to stop the pay cut had its first procedural hearing today. There is an injunction in effect which is restraining the Ministry of Education from cutting the teachers' pay for those 11 strike days.

The attorneys for both sides went back before the Chief Justice to inform the judge that they will attempt to settle this dispute out of court.

At the last hearing, the Chief Justice suggested mediation and today, both parties showed up to court to say they will try. BNTU's attorney, Eamon Courtenay told us more:

Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for BNTU
"There was the first hearing this morning, the hearing of the claim and the matter has been referred to mediation. Mr. George Swift has been chosen as the mediator and we have 45 days within which to try to resolve the differences between the union and the government. I don't want to try this in the media, but it seems to me that the positions are not too far apart if the government decides to change its inflexible stance and to try to be reasonable. There is a very simple thing that's happened here, the teachers have been paid for the month of October, there was a strike in October, the teachers has worked since then and you are entitled to be paid when you work. When the teachers received their pay in October there was no condition, there was no question of them being called upon at some future date to make up any money that was not payable or payable or anything like that. So I don't know why the government believes that the teachers or anybody else can work and not be paid. Once they accept the principle that if you work, you are to be paid. That's the end of it."

"Their reverse position that if you don't work you are not to be paid is a common law position. But the statutes and by that I mean the education rules speak to the contract to the teachers and there is a very serious problem here and it is that the government is intervening in a place where it ought not to be intervening. The teachers are employed by the management managing authorities and the discussion should be between the managing authorities and the teachers with respect to salaries, with respect to days or work, respect to hours of work and that type of thing. Unfortunately with respect to the specific case the government seems to be driving it and driving it in a very inflexible way and that's we are where we are. I'd hope that the mediation will be successful."

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize