Teachers Union Executive votes to strike

They were instrumental in the massive anti-government protests of earlier this year, but since their demands for salary increases, political reform, and tax rollbacks were largely granted by Belmopan, Belize’s teachers have not been a major factor in the latest efforts to unseat the government. But pressure has been building both inside and outside the Belize National Teachers Union. News 5?s Patrick Jones has been at the B.N.T.U. headquarters all afternoon monitoring a meeting of the Council of Management. He is on the phone with us live.

Jacqueline Woods
?Patrick, good evening to you.?

Patrick Jones
?Good evening Jackie.?

Jacqueline Woods
?What is the latest word coming out of the B.N.T.U. meeting??

Patrick Jones
?After about three hours of meeting, the Council of Management of the Belize National Teacher?s Union has ratified, from what we understand, a decision to call a national strike, a nationwide strike by all teachers to take effect immediately. So as of now, the teachers are officially on strike according to this vote that was taken. The Council of Management needed at least six of the ten people to be present to form a quorum to vote. We understand that they had eight of the ten; only one from the south and one from north could not make it, so they had the quorum and the decision was taken to strike.?

Jacqueline Woods
?Why was this decision taken to strike??

Patrick Jones
?The teachers are lending their support to the National Trade Union Congress. As we have been reporting all week, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize has sent out a letter calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and his government. The teachers are also in solidarity with the workers of the Belize Telecommunications Limited, so it?s all tied in and they are putting the full weight of their support behind those causes.?

Jacqueline Woods
?How long should we expect this strike to last??

Patrick Jones
?We have not been able to ascertain from the leadership of the B.N.T.U. how long the strike will be in effect for, but I can only imagine that it will not be a strike that they will call for just one day. The president of the B.N.T.U. will now proceed to update and inform the umbrella organisation, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. That meeting should be happening right now, and after he has done that, then he will be making himself further available to the media to answer questions. As I look upstairs at B.N.T.U. headquarters, the lights are still on and there are people still moving about upstairs and it appears that that meeting with the National Trade Union Congress is now underway.

Jacqueline Woods
?So the last word is that the teachers are going to strike.?

Patrick Jones
?They are going to go on a strike. How long it will last we do not know, so for parents listening or watching the news at this moment, know that the teachers have voted for a national strike.?