Email

Print

We spoke to both sides, but first here are two of the ministers:

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education
"We had a very good meeting. It was a very cordial, respectful meeting. And just to pre-empt, there is a proposal on the table and I think it was well received."

Reporter
"Why is it that they had to come to this point where teachers had to demonstrate and unions had to demonstrate for you all to come to the table and think seriously about their demands?"

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education
"I don't think that it is because they demonstrated. We certainly had taken into account those concerns and it was just a matter of time."

Reporter
"Sir, how is the government considering you're going to make the provisions to meet this proposal?"

"Will they get the 8.5%?"

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education
"I do not want to speak to the specifics because we do have a proposal, we need to go back to cabinet and thereafter we'll be able to speak to you on the specifics."

Reporter
"Is this hard for you, difficult for you, a difficult thing to navigate as a Minister of Education?"

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education
"Let me tell you, from the very onset I made it very clear and our government has made it very clear that we do understand the concerns that teachers and public servants have. We all recognize that there is inflation, the cost of living has gone up and at the end of the day it's a matter of sitting at the table and working it all together."

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
"Well, I think we had a very constructive meeting. We discussed the issues at length and I think we reached some level of over-standing but of course these things are subject to agreement of cabinet 1, and agreement of the membership of the unions but I thought we had a good meeting as we usually do, very constructive, very serious, very frank but very respectful."

Reporter
"Will the teachers get their 8.5% increase? What we're hearing from the Prime Minister is that it's almost impossible."

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
"We had a very good meeting. I'm at liberty to say we had a very good meeting, a constructive meeting, a very productive meeting."

"We have a proposal, but we don't want to prejudice that. The union leaders have to take it back to their membership. We have to take the cabinet. So, in short order, I think we will hopefully have a framework that will work for everybody."

Reporter
"Is the attempt to prevent strike action and a two-day shutdown?"

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
"We don't look at it that way. We've had a real partnership with the unions over a period of time because, as I always say, this is a partnership, this is a team effort, all the success of this country is based on this partnership, is based on this team effort. When they win, we win. And when we win, they win. It should never be a situation where what is good for the unions is bad for the government or what is good for the government is bad for the unions. That should never be."

"And so we went into this meeting understanding that, understanding that we've found a way in the past, in the darkest of times, and it's about finding a way again. And I think we took enough time and we went there with the kind of spirit that we've always had, shared interest, mutual respect, and we worked until I think we have the framework of something that can work."

"But as I said, we have to go back to our membership, both of us are the unions on one hand and we on the other hand, we have to go to cabinet and take it and hopefully it passes muster and we can put this behind us."

And so what do the unions have to say for their part? Well, we spoke to Dean Flowers the president of the PSU and Nadia Caliz, the president of the BNTU. Here's their interview conducted a short while ago:..

Reporter
"Main question is, are you getting the 8.5% salary increase?"

Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"Let me just say they present us with a proposal that we need to take to our membership first before we can talk about it publicly."

Reporter
"Is the proposal less value than what is being asked, with other compromises being struck? Was other compromize being struck?"

Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"I love rhetorical question. Let's just say I'll say the same thing. They presented us with a proposal that we have to take to membership. One of the reasons why I don't want to answer your question directly because I don't want members to go with the wrong impression because they, too, have to vote on what the government presented to us today."

Reporter
"The meeting was landed today. Was it in any way? Was it, you know, Cordial? What was the atmosphere in there?"

Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"It was Cordial until we got to a point where the demands of workers, in our view, was not taken seriously. And so we had to let them know that, well, for me, I have a mandate for strike. And I had to let them know, as of today, I'm sending out what I need to send out. And we all had to caucus after that because, BNTU, the members don't want to hear anything other than their demands."

"And they decided to caucus, we caucus. They made a proposal, and that's what we're going to take back to membership."

Reporter
"What would you say is the main sticking point of the government's proposal in terms of what they're giving?"

Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"I'll put that question to brother Dean."

Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"Hi. Good evening, folks. Well, firstly, I really want to, first of all, acknowledge the cabinet subcommittee on the excellent representation of cabinet that they did today."

"I believe that we had a very respectful meeting, as we always do. I believe that, while we can get and were emotional at times, respect was always maintained. We went into that room. with a mandate from our collective membership."

"We did not waver with that demand. We stuck it out. The cabinet subcommittee considered the request and they made an offer. They now go back to get the endorsement of cabinet for that offer. Once cabinet endorses that offer, then our membership accepts that offer when it is presented we'll all be in a very good place. But I can see that today was a successful round of negotiation for the most part."

Those interviews finished a short while ago and we'll have more tomorrow.