After several weeks of locking horns with government negotiators, officials of the Bahamas Union of Teachers on Wednesday instructed public school teachers to go on “work to rule” and threatened that more serious action could follow.
BUT President Ida Poitier-Turnquest said teachers will work from 9am to 3pm and not a single second extra, which means that extracurricular activities are likely to be impacted.
She explained to The Bahama Journal that the latest industrial action was taken after the “slap in the face” proposal the government handed the union.
“We had a general meeting for all teachers in New Providence to give them an update on the new wage proposal that the government presented to us on Monday,” Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest said. “The teachers rejected it again because it is the same old tired proposal that they gave to us last year.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Fred Mitchell, the minister responsible for the public service, assured that the government was working to bring conclusion to the dispute with the teachers’ union.
“Here’s what I would say, I just think it’s important for the public to understand that the government is willing to negotiate a settlement with the Bahamas Union of Teachers,” Minister Mitchell said.
The government is proposing a five-year contract, which would be retroactive to July 1 2005.
The government is also proposing a lump sum payment of $700 for members of the BUT which would be paid out within two weeks of the signing of the agreement.
Under the contract, the government would give each teacher $100 to their base salary retroactive to January 1, 2006. In July 2006, another $50 would be added to the base pay.
An additional $62.50 would be added per month beginning July 1, 2008. The government also wants to implement a high performance evaluation system, which would pay teachers raises based on their level of performance.
But union officials have said repeatedly that under no circumstances would they accept a merit pay system.
On Wednesday, the teachers showed up in droves at the union’s headquarters on Bethel Avenue where they were told what the government’s new proposal entails.
“The teachers were disgusted this morning when we informed them of this proposal,” Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest told The Bahama Journal.
“They could not believe that the government would continue with [its] insults by sending them the same thing that they rejected last year.”
She said teachers are adamant that they will not accept the proposal, which is what the government agreed to in its contract with the Bahamas Public Services Union late last year.
The B.U.T. is demanding a $4,000 lump sum payment for each teacher, which would be made in two installments of $2,000. The union is also asking for a $12,000 raise for each teacher, which would cover the period January 2006 to June 2008.
While the union is still demanding that other industrial matters be addressed as part of the agreement, government negotiators have indicated that the government is only prepared to negotiate wages.
Negotiators point out that a recognition agreement of 1965 only allows the government to negotiate wages.
Recently, the government and BUT executives clashed over the government’s proposal that the agreement cover only classroom teachers. The teachers flat out refused so the government abandoned its plan to negotiate a new recognition agreement.
In a recent statement the government said, “The presentation of the salary proposal is in keeping with the government’s commitment to negotiate in good faith-The legal advice received by the government has confirmed that the 1965 contract between the government and BUT titled a recognition agreement only affords the BUT the right to an agreement limited to salaries.
“The submission of the salary proposal is consistent with past practice and policy of conducting salary negotiations with all public sector unions, including the BUT.”
But the union president is refuting that claim and is calling on Minister Mitchell to carefully review the contents of the 1965 agreement.
“The government is saying that [it] can only bargain with us on salaries and we say according to our recognition agreement of 1965 we can bargain and negotiate for remuneration, tenure, conditions of service and all allied matters and that is law,” Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest said.
“I would like to invite Minister Mitchell to read the agreement and go beyond the word ‘remuneration’ and if he does he will see that we have the right to negotiate for more than just salaries.”
Union executives were scheduled to travel to Grand Bahama Wednesday afternoon to inform teachers there of the situation.
She said after the union consults with teachers across the country, it will decide what the next step will be. Meanwhile, Mrs. Poitier-Turnquest said union officials will return to the bargaining table as scheduled.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
