As teachers prepare to head back into the classrooms for the first full week after the Easter break, Prime Minister Gaston Browne shared his views on government workers taking industrial action.
“…They are becoming reckless with their demands and if this continues unabated, they could plunge the country into a crisis,” he said during an interview on state media
Public sector workers, he added, need to be sensitised to the possible consequences of their demands.
He also mentioned that there has been a decline in government revenues due to Covid-19. Despite this, the government has agreed to give an increase in wages, withstanding the advice of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other institutions to postpone increases in salaries and wages.
“If the government is called upon to pay increases [that] it cannot afford, then there can only be one of two possible options: one, increase taxes, or two, retrench; or maybe both, so possibly three.”
He stated that his government has gone the extra mile and has been pushed to go beyond its capacity.
“I just want them to know that their actions have consequences; it’s not that we’re threatening anyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, , President of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT), Casroy Charles told Observer media last week that industrial action should be a last resort.
“Not because you see the teachers engaging in action. You must attempt to exhaust alternative options and if those fail, then you resort to action,” he said.
“I don’t want persons to get the impression that as soon as you’re dissatisfied or there is a dispute in the employment relations, the first course of action should be industrial action.”
Charles made these statements on the heels of the industrial action taken by members of the ABUT, which ended on April 20.
In a letter to the government dated 4 April 2023, the ABUT had stated their intention to ‘engage in industrial action starting 11 April 2023’. Among the reasons for the action included teacher upgrades, improved lighting and surveillance for schools, and Head of Department Ex-Gratia payments.
In response to the industrial action, the Ministry of Education had extended the Easter vacation by four days, in order to resolve the issue. When the issue wasn’t resolved the teachers continued their industrial action until agreements were made between the government and the union.
According to the General Secretary of the ABUT, Sharon Kelsick, on 20 April 2023, the demands of the union were met satisfactorily. She further commented that school security and teacher upgrades remain outstanding, among others, to which she affirmed that the union will push for their resolution in a timely manner.