The Belize National Teachers Union has voted to take industrial action against the government. On Wednesday, 2,500 members participated in the countrywide vote. The action will take place in 3 phases - the first will be a demonstration, the second a two day national shut down, and the third will be a strike.
While no dates have been given just yet, the Ministry of Education is hoping to meet with the union before the first phase. However, according to the minister, Cabinet will have to discuss their demands, which include an 8.5% salary adjustment.
Oscar Requena, Minister of Education, Science & Technology
"I must say that yes I am aware of the demands that the teachers are making and I must say that we understand and respect that is their right to be able to voice their concerns, obviously the membership voted. Certainly, for us, we can understand and appreciate the concerns that they have. We have a duty as a government to sit down to discuss the issues that were brought up by the BNTU and I'm certain that Cabinet is going to advise on a plan forward."
Courtney Menzies:
"Will you try to get them to the table before they get to that point of demonstrating?"
Oscar Requena, Minister of Education, Science & Technology
"Absolutely. I want to say that we have had a very cordial and respectful relationship with the BNTU. We understand the role of the union and we appreciate the work that our teachers do. I think that that is very important for me to set the record straight. And obviously the only way to solve whatever issues there are is to come to the table. We need to sit down, we need dialogue, we need to work together and we need to understand, as much as the teachers have their demands, as a country, we also have certain challenges but we need to find a way to work, to be able to take into account the concerns and issues that our teachers have and similarly what are the constraints that government has and see how best we can work a way forward to address the concerns."
Courtney Menzies:
"What's the likelihood of them getting the raise that they're demanding?"
Oscar Requena, Minister of Education, Science & Technology
"I cannot speak individually to that because certainly that is a matter for Cabinet to consider and obviously once Cabinet sits on it, we will certainly appraise the union, the teachers, and certainly the media."
The union's council of management is meeting tomorrow to discuss the result of the vote.
|
