SOURCE: POINTE XPRESS- Prime minister Gaston Browne is voicing frustration over the actions of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers for its latest round of industrial action that places the welfare of the nation’s youth at risk.
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In an interview done moments after he returned from his trip to Washington, PM Browne described the action of the teachers as ‘disproportionate’ as while he agrees that the outstanding allowances ought to have been paid, there is no question that the government is fully committed to making the payments.
PM Browne is also questioning where there are no other voices in the society speaking out on what he sees as an ‘unconscionable’ act.
“Are teachers now above the fray; that they can take disproportionate action and put our children out of school and have them languishing for a week, for outstanding allowances that are being paid?” he queried.
According to the prime minister the government is committed to making the payments and most of the teachers have since received their cheques, adding that it unfortunate that the ministry officials took a long time to process the documentations.“You don’t ‘throw out the baby with the bath water’ and I want to know what teaching has come to; what happen, they don’t prioritise the interests of their students?” he again queried.
The prime minister also suggested that there may be teachers who are involved in politics.
“If we are going to call a ‘spade a spade’, we have a lot of teachers who are into politics; this is actually a political response.
This has nothing to do with the payment of allowances. It doesn’t even have to do with salaries and wages,” he declared.
PM Browne gave as an example the last increase which teachers received when all public servants received salary increases over a year ago.“You know how many adjustments we have made; we gave an increase of 9 percent so the issue is not about pay. Outstanding allowances, which I accept should have been paid, but the fact that they are being dealt with and now they come up with all kinds of spurious arguments; the latest I am hearing is that there are six individuals who did not get some kind of allowance because they were not part of the original list that was submitted and instead of the teachers’ union taking some responsibility for this, they continue to strike and keep our children out of school?
I say that this is heartless and totally ridiculous and the people of Antigua and Barbuda better make a stance on this issue,” he declared.
Teachers have been engaged in a ‘work to rule’ over the past week where they report for work and do not teach.
