Deputy P.M. and Minister of Education concludes action is “politically motivated”

Patrick Faber

The flyer that the minister refers to was circulated today. The B.N.T.U. makes seven demands for good governance as part of its “Stand Up for Belize Campaign.” As we reported on Tuesday, the Joint Unions Negotiating Team has written to Prime Minister Barrow on its final position as it concerns the salary adjustment.  The Association of Public Service Senior Managers and the Public Service Union have both accepted the proposal to defer the third tranche of payment, leaving the B.N.T.U. alone in saying no to the deferral.  The B.N.T.U.’s position has prompted a meeting with PM Barrow on Friday morning in an attempt to reconcile the positions of the tripartite body.  According to Deputy Prime Minister Faber, the Ministry of Education and the respective schools’ management did not approve of time off taken last Thursday for teachers to attend a B.N.T.U. meeting.  The union attempting to force government’s hand, says Faber, is politically motivated.

Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister

“We are really hoping that there is some change in the way that the union is choosing to deal with this.  At the bottom of all of this, or I should say that at the top of all of this is of course our children and while it is important for every citizen of this country to be concerned about good government and things that we want to see get done, when it is that these matters that are being raised in the letter from the BNTU to the prime minister as you will see when you look at the prime minister’s detailed answer.  When these matters are being addressed or they are matters that have already been raised in a legitimate forum like the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations which we all agreed a few weeks ago would come to a close, we believe that they are other ways to deal with these kinds of things and that it should not come at the detriment of the education of our children.  You will know that last week’s Thursday’s meeting of the BNTU with its branches across the country was not supported by the ministry, even though we did not take any measures to penalize anybody.  It was not supported as I understand it, by many of the managements as well because we believe that the union did not act according to the procedures that should have been put in place.  I heard the president say that it is an emergency meeting.  Well please, pray tell what is the emergency?  What was the emergency that the first week of school had to be interrupted for urgent decision or for urgent meetings.  And the only thing I could come up with is what they have said, they themselves have said again that it’s not about the three percent it is about these other pressing issues having to deal with the governance of this country. I’ve said on the record and I will say it again that I believe that Mr. Palacio is politically motivated.  I make no apologies for that.  This man has been an operative of the People’s United Party, he has offered himself for candidacy of the People’s United Party so it is what it is and that is why my appeal is not to him.  My appeal is to the right thinking teachers out there who know that in fact there is no labor dispute afoot here and can also look at the facts, as you can see the prime minister outlined in his letter responding to the eight points that the BNTU put forward, that these things are being addressed.  It’s not to say that we must all be happy, it’s not to say that everything is right in the government.  There are elements that we are not proud of and that in fact need be addressed.”