National Teacher’s Union willing to negotiate with G.O.B.

George Frazer

But according to BNTU’s Executive Secretary, George Frazer, the union has not met with government since 2008 and it is willing to sit and negotiate if only GOB would be willing to give them an audience. Frazer said the problem is longstanding since previous administrations did not meet with them to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement.

George Frazer, Executive Secretary, B.N.T.U.

“For example like in 1995/96, this document right here shows when Mr. Manuel Esquivel was Prime Minister, we were due a raise and he indicated the country was in a financial strap and so we were able to sit down and that’s all we’re asking for; mek wi sit down and see what we could work up.  We are responsible people. We don’t want to put our country in jeopardy.  They have taken too long to answer and respond and a series of letters that I have can show and chronicle when we first started the process with the present government. When the Prime Minister is quoting a hundred and twenty-two million, that is not what it actually would cost because we trade off. When you negotiate, you sit down and negotiate and say okay we agree day you wah revise di tax system, which means that we agree that you will revise the tax system, which mean we wah have more money eena wi pocket soh den ih noh have to be maybe the ten and twelve percent raise weh wi di ask fah and thing like dat. Yes they have given some answers but we have not met from the twelfth of September, 2008 – wah year and change – that is disrespect.”

Frazer says the Union will now wait after this public call for government to indicate when they could meet to negotiate.