Possible industrial action by teachers remains on pause –– at least for another week.
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Pedro Shepherd told Barbados TODAY that after meeting yesterday with teachers from the Parkinson and Alma Parris Memorial schools, a decision had been taken to first present “the facts” to the public in a paid advertisement sometime next week.
Shepherd said after the information was published, the BUT would determine what form of action it would take in its industrial relations dispute with the Government over temporary appointments and conditions of work at the two secondary schools.
BUT president Pedro Shepherd
“We are going to issue a paid ad . . . putting all the facts from the two schools out there,” he said.
“Their [teachers] concern is that the public is not getting the facts; they are getting the half truths from the principals.”
He said the union leadership had asked the teachers from both schools to compile the information and a team from Parkinson and Alma Parris would later meet with the BUT executive to prepare the full-page ad.
The union had given the Ministry of Education two weeks, which ended last Wednesday, to indicate the status of investigations into the two schools.
But the Ministry had asked for the opportunity to continue its probe into the conditions of work at the institutions, including the teachers’ concerns about the management style of the principals.
The BUT had also given the Personnel Administration Division six weeks to complete the appointment of all temporary teachers in Barbados.
That deadline is due to expire on February 18.
When the union’s executive council met last week to discuss the latest developments and determine its next move following the ministry’s “disappointing” response, Shepherd had told this newspaper that the discussions with Parkinson and Alma Parris –– which were held yesterday –– would decide the next step.
However, he had also said he was encouraged by a letter from the PAD that promised the deadline for completing all temporary appointments would be met.