Teachers will strike for eighth day; getting ready for meeting with Prime Minister

The strike called by the Belize National Teachers’ Union will go into its eighth day on Thursday. But whether it continues after that will depend on a key meeting between the Union’s Council of Management and Prime Minister Dean Barrow. This evening the Government Press Office issued a short statement confirming that the B.N.T.U. has accepted the Prime Minister’s offer to meet on Thursday afternoon at two at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel. The statement closes by expressing its hope that negotiations will be fruitful on both sides. The teachers have presented eight demands to Government, including the establishment of the Integrity Commission and reconstitution of the Public Accounts Committee; the creation of a five-member Special Senate Select Inquiry into the Immigration audit reports; an international investigation into the murder by beheading of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas; the signing of the order for the thirteenth member of the Senate representing non-Governmental organizations, and progress on the Occupational Safety and Health Bill and provisions for Social Security coverage for accidents occurring during travel to and from work. We have not been able to reach any executive member of the B.N.T.U. for comment, but we can confirm that the Union’s Council of Management is meeting on Thursday morning ahead of the meeting with the Prime Minister. This evening at the Battlefield Park, teachers from the Belize Branch will be holding a vigil and rally to gather continued support heading into this most important meeting. News Five will continue to follow developments and have details from the meeting in Thursday’s newscast.