B.N.T.U. Claims Massive Success with Strike

Keisha Young

During today’s meeting in Belize City, B.N.T.U. executive secretary Keisha Young read out the details of how many absences and school closures there were – and there were a lot of them.

Keisha Young, Executive Secretary, B.N.T.U.

“In Corozal Town Branch, eight schools were fully closed, five were open, but most of them were giving partial service—they had maybe two classrooms or a classroom open. Give Corozal Town Branch a hand. Corozal rural branch, all schools were fully closed. One teacher showed up to work at San Narciso; so that’s almost a hundred percent support from Corozal Rural Branch. Orange Walk Branch reported four hundred teachers strong on strike. Belmopan branch had two hundred and sixty-nine teachers at their membership meeting and they were meeting from eight-thirty this morning. San Ignacio branch reported that of the twenty-six schools in that district, twenty of them were fully closed. Benque Viejo branch had most primary schools closed and the attendance at secondary was very, very poor. Give Benque Viejo a round of applause. Stann Creek branch reported that four hundred and fifty teachers strong are on strike. In Punta Gorda branch, four schools were fully closed and five were opened with little or no students present. And Toledo rural branch had the majority of their schools fully closed so given them a round of applause. In the Belize branch, of the sixty-three schools canvassed, because we couldn’t get to some of those in the rural schools; of those sixty-three, eight of those were open giving from full to partial service. So give Belize branch a round of applause; give yourselves a round of applause.”

We will have more from the Belize branch meeting in Tuesday’s newscast.