PM Welcomes New B.N.T.U. Leadership, Continued Partnership

Earlier today, when News Five caught up with Prime Minister John Briceño, we asked him for comments on the fifty-third annual B.N.T.U. Convention being held in his backyard at the Muffles College Auditorium.  As you heard earlier, a new national executive for the labor movement has been selected. PM Briceño says that the union is a partner that has his government’s utmost respect.

Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We’ve always seen BNTU as a partner; we’ve never seen them as an adversary. That was the problem previously that the government felt that they had to be fighting with the BNTU because they don’t support whatever initiatives that they do. The BNTU has their own agenda or they see things differently and in some instances we see eye to eye and sometimes we don’t. But that’s a part of it that’s a part of democracy where people can speak out for or against what you are doing. They have their responsibilities to their membership and we have our responsibility to the country, so we may have our differences, but we work together. Actually, it was as Prime Minister that I recommended Senator Elena Smith to be recognized under the MBE or one of them that we gave for the recognition of the work that she has done  – not only as a teacher and education, but also as a leader and union leader. Today, they are going to elect a new president so I want to thank Elena for the outstanding work that she did. She is a firebrand, but when we meet person to person, she is calm and determined and has a position, but we work together. That’s why I have great respect and admiration for her to be able to do that. I wish them well with the election of a new executive. I want to say now that whosoever the new executive and whosoever the new president is, our government is prepared to work with them as partners in the development of our young people and education.”