B.U.T. wants answers

There have been complaints lodged with the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) regarding members being denied their requests for a term’s leave from their schools, and its President, Pedro Shepherd, is questioning if this is a new policy decision that has been taken by the Cabinet of Barbados.

 

Shepherd raised the issue yesterday morning while addressing the opening of a Professional Development Workshop at Almond Bay Centre, as he contended there needs to be more consultation and effective communication between Government and the trade unions in this country.

 

Expanding on their concern with the media, he indicated that since time immemorial, where a teacher has taught for 15 years they are entitled to one term off, and again every five years. But, he said, in recent times the Ministry has cut back, only granting it to those going on their first term’s leave and those going on their last before retirement.

 

“The Barbados Union of Teachers is of the view that if there is any change in the terms and conditions of the service of teachers, then the Union should be involved in any negotiation. You cannot unilaterally decide you are going to change it,” he maintained.

 

Shepherd added, “If it is engrained in our terms and conditions of service, then one would expect that it is a policy position, and if it is a policy position, then we are told that only the Cabinet of Barbados can make that shift in policy and we have not heard of the Cabinet of Barbados making the shift. So we want to find out if the shift was made by Cabinet unknown to us, or if the Ministry of Education is just changing the rules to suit whatever internal accommodations they have to make.”

 

The Union boss said that the BUT has brought its concern to the Ministry already, as have teachers who have been affected. He made the point while revealing that only recently he was told by three teachers that three applications by each of them for such leave have been denied. He said that is regrettable, as given the stress of the job, teachers require that time to recuperate.

 

Shepherd added that another area of concern is relative to study leave, such that while public officers are allowed ten days for study leave per semester, some teachers are being asked to reduce their days to two – the exam day and the day before. The BUT President added that there have even been instances where teachers have been given only half-day for the exam. He is suggesting that the Ministry, to address the challenge it may face with teachers being away from the classroom, could employ a cadre of temporary teachers to pick up the slack.

 

“You have persons out there who have applied for teaching, who are qualified to teach who are on a waiting list for as many as five years or longer and you can call on these people during the period May to June, to come in and move from school to school to assist with any shortfall you have in staff … There are also teachers who have not been reassigned and who are looking to get back into the system. Why not have a cadre of three, or four or five of these people to assist with the study leave situation that you know full well would come around May June every year, November [and] December,” he said. (JRT)