The clock is ticking on the BNTU's 21 day strike notice. While they continue to discuss the government's proposal with their membership, GOB's negotiating team will have to wait until the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday to brief their colleagues. In the meantime, the teachers are gearing up for what could be if their membership doesn't accept the proposal.
But does the government see the strike notice as bad faith? Today the Deputy PM said that he was surprised but he understands their reasoning. Still, he says there's a lot more discussions to be had, which he hopes can wrap up quickly.
Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources:
"It caught us a little off guard because we had a very serious, productive meeting, I thought, Tuesday evening that lasted for some hours and we think we have a framework that is doable and fair and reasonable as I said. But it's for us, on the government side, it's for us to take it to the Cabinet and get the Cabinet approval for it. On the union side, it's for the leaders to go to their membership and get their membership to support it if they consider it to be a fair deal. But so I was kind of surprised but I understand that in some ways it's procedural. School will close sometime there but the union has a marching order to do certain things and even though we feel like we have a framework, negotiations are not yet complete. We still have some work to do, we still have to go to Cabinet Tuesday, they still have to go to their membership after that Cabinet meeting after we produce in writing for them, a formal proposal, they still have to mull over that and deliberate and make a decision so we still have some ways to go to you can't take it personal that they've decided to continue procedurally what they're doing and to ensure that they have their ducks lined up so to speak but I think that we all agree, government's side, the negotiating team on government side, the negotiating team on the unions, we all agree that we need to try to wrap this up in the shortest possible time but there's no reason for us to stretch this out over a long period of time. If China and the US can sit together after 2 days and come up with trade agreements then why can't we."
Reports tell us that the government side has offered to give the unions the 8.5% increase but staggered over 3 years: 3% in year one, 3% in year two, and 2.5%in year 3. Plus they have also agreed to unfreeze 2 of the increments that have been withheld.
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