By Elesha George
Public school teachers have resumed classes after two days of industrial action over outstanding pay.
On Friday morning the Antigua-Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT) announced that classes would return to normalcy with immediate effect.
“I am happy to report that we got the final set of cheques this morning,” said the union’s General Secretary Sharon Kelsick. The union heads called an emergency meeting that morning to move a motion to restart classes.
Negotiations were underway for some time over long requested reclassification of salaries that would increase the pay for over 300 teachers. But the payments and upgrades, due for the period 2019 to 2021, to just a handful of remaining educators went unpaid.
So, just three days into the new school year, the teachers launched sit-ins, impacting the start of school for hundreds of students.
President of ABUT, Casroy Charles, explained that while the majority of teachers had been duly upgraded, about 20 educators were left out of the process.
He said despite the union’s efforts to resolve the issue, months later, some teachers had still not been appointed or paid.
“I had to get on the phone, speak to the necessary authorities, and have those persons appointed. So, I understand why some teachers were unwilling to go back to work until everyone received their money,” Charles continued.
While teachers are now back in the classroom, Charles expressed concern over the need for industrial action to resolve such matters.
“It’s always a concern when we have to reach this point to get what is owed to us. If the only way we can get what is due to us is by engaging in industrial action, then it sends the wrong message to our membership,” he said.
He said industrial relations should focus on dialogue and negotiation rather than drastic actions.
“We should always have the sense that if there is a dispute, we can sit at the table, come to an amicable conclusion, and that agreement will be honoured,” he added.
In addition to the salary dispute, Charles noted that there are other unresolved issues, including the government’s failure to honour aspects of the bargaining agreement and the need to fence at least two schools.
