Teachers’ Salaries Will Stay Intact for October

This week, Minister Gaspar Vega resigned from cabinet after evidence surfaced that his son was superbly compensated for land sold to him which was held privately. Prime Minister Barrow had to reshuffle the cabinet in light of Vega’s departure. Minister John Saldivar was sent home for a week pending investigation into his business relationship with murder suspect William “Danny’’ Mason. The teachers continued their strike and have since returned to the classrooms but the situation in regards to salary deductions remains unresolved. After a threat to dock salaries and another memo on how to calculate the figures, on Thursday night, there was a proposal by the Ministry of Education. There are still negotiations ahead but going into the weekend, teachers can breathe a sigh of relief because their October salary will not be affected. A memo has been sent to general managers of government and government-aided schools by Chief Education Officer Doctor Carol Babb. It says that, “the withholding of contributions will take effect the ending of November 2016.” This is to give managing authorities time to ensure that attendance of teachers on strike is accurate. This afternoon Minister of Education Patrick Faber explained the decision.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Just a while ago we decided to delay the withholding of salaries from this month of October.  We will put it off until next month; again, to give the B.N.T.U. ample time to answer the proposal that we have put forward.  This is also being done because we have a few of the managing authorities, particularly the largest one, the Roman Catholic management, that is saying we have so many schools, so many teachers, it’s hard for us to compile this information.  Remember that the strike had gone on up until Tuesday I believe, and so we still are gathering information, its hard for us to meet the deadline of 4:30 today, Friday.  And so we have said okay, we won’t interfere with the salaries for this month of October but rather we will move with those deductions at the end of the November month.”

Patrick Faber

Isani Cayetano

“There is a notion that the B.N.T.U. as the wider body should be able to draw down on monies that are stored away in the strike fund and if those monies are inadequate that the government would then sort of subsidize the balance.  Can you speak to that?”

Patrick Faber

“Yes, I will.  Remember that our position as it is today is that there will be deductions from the salaries.  That has not changed.  But yesterday I did write to the President of the B.N.T.U. proposing that we might be able to be of assistance to those teachers who were on strike because we believe that we can assist if the B.N.T.U. believes that it can put forward the monies that are withheld as a monthly contribution from the teachers to go into a strike fund.  That is a way to make sure that our teachers are comfortable, especially since the children are at the forefront of whatever it is we’re doing here and we believe that there is the need for makeup time to happen.  Now if it is that teachers aren’t paid, especially from the government, if the payment is withheld then that argument about or the question about having teachers go back to the classroom to assist overtime to help students make up time becomes difficult because if you noh pay me [then] yoh cyant expect me fi go back.  So if it is that there can be a kind of payment from the strike fund subsidized by the government then that gives us a footing to the negotiations to try to work out makeup time for the students.”