Education C.E.O. Says Teachers Responsible to Apply for Commuting Allowance

Deborah Domingo

Another bone of contention for which the union says it is prepared to seek legal recourse is in respect of a decision purportedly made by the Ministry of Education to withhold commuting allowance owed to teachers prior to 2017.  C.E.O. Domingo says she is not aware of the measure, but teachers are responsible to apply for transportation allowance.

Deborah Domingo, C.E.O., Ministry of Education

“I am not aware that commuting allowances aren’t being paid. There is an obligation of teachers to apply for commuting allowance every year. There is also an obligation on the applicant to show proof that they are indeed living where they are living and it goes through approval at the manage level locally; at the district education centre level and then finally at the general manager’s level. So having those approvals, the application forms are submitted to the teacher/administrative service unit and they would process. So there is no position not to pay commuting allowance or otherwise; that is normally done from one year to the other and the deadline is normally mid-September to get the form in.”

Earlier today, the Belize Progressive Party reaffirmed it is a hundred percent in solidarity with teachers, saying it supports the B.N.T.U. in its latest stand to obtain and preserve their rights. The C.W.U. has also issued a statement supporting the teachers.