A planned two-day sick-out by the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has triggered a political row, with Minister of Educational Transformation Senator Chad Blackman questioning the timing—coming just before key student exams and ahead of a by-election in which he will be a candidate.
His comments followed the union’s call for educators to call in sick on Thursday and Friday in protest over the government’s handling of the long-standing issue of term’s leave, which has remained unresolved since 2014.
Teachers were previously entitled to a term’s leave every five years after 15 years of service, but the 2014 change limited that leave to only two occasions: once at 15 years and once before retirement. The BUT said the change was made without union consultation and was originally described as a temporary measure, one that has lingered for over a decade.
In a statement issued on Wednesday—a day after Minister Blackman said that progress was being made in resolving the term’s leave issue—BUT president Rudy Lovell outlined what he said were the union’s ongoing efforts to resolve the issue, including a judicial review filed in 2017, a December 2023 court ruling, and multiple meetings and letters since then.
He said teachers continued to receive rejection letters citing the 2014 policy, despite the ministry’s verbal support for reinstatement.
“The union remains firm in its commitment to securing fair and just working conditions for all teachers and will continue to advocate until the matter is resolved,” Lovell said.
The BUT leader did not directly respond to the minister’s accusation of political intent but framed the sick-out as a last resort after exhausting legal and procedural channels.
However, Senator Blackman raised suspicion over the timing.
“Why now?” the minister asked. “Why, just days before thousands of our children are set to sit Common Entrance exam, CXC and promotion exams, are we having a possible sick-out? If this is truly about resolving an issue, then let’s meet. My door is open—even in the midst of a by-election,” he continued, hinting at his own potential candidacy for the St James North seat, which was left vacant after Edmund Hinkson’s resignation as Member of Parliament.
“I will make the time. I will always make time to protect our children and our schools. But if this is about something else, if this is about politics, then…I honestly cannot help you,” the minister said.
Felicia Dujon, the Democratic Labour Party’s shadow minister of education, has been selected to contest the by-election in St James North.
Senator Blackman questioned the political motivations behind the BUT’s threatened action, stating, “We all know who the shadow minister of education is, and we all know she is a candidate in this very election. That is not coincidence. That is calculation.”
In his direct message to the union, Blackman asserted, “I will not play politics with our children’s education. If you feel comfortable doing that, then that’s a matter for you. I will not allow others to drag the teaching profession down into the trenches of an election campaign. So, if the intention is to resolve and to solve the problem, come and let us meet. But if the intention is to make mischief or to score cheap political points on the backs of innocent children, then this is where I draw the line.”
The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) has taken a notably different stance to the BUT, making it clear it does not support the sickout and does not believe negotiations have broken down.
“There has not been a refusal, either stated or implied, by any of the agents of the employer to reinstate the leave,” BSTU president Mary Redman told Barbados TODAY. “On the contrary, they are actively working on resolving the issue.”
She said Wednesday marked the third such meeting in nine months with government officials and described the talks as ongoing and productive.
“As far as this union is concerned, we are still at a stage of negotiations,” Redman added.
She said the Ministry of Education had, as far back as September 2024, formally communicated to the Ministry of the Public Service its agreement with the union’s position.
The BSTU was informed this week that the public service ministry is now preparing a formal proposal to submit to the head of the public service for determination, according to Redman.
Her union is also pursuing redress for teachers who were denied leave over the past decade, including financial compensation or consecutive periods of leave.
Redman, who was asked whether she supports the sick-out, said: “Industrial action takes place when there is a breakdown in the negotiation process and the BSTU is saying that, as far as we are concerned, there is no such thing happening.”
She declined to comment on the BUT’s position, stating only, “The BUT is an autonomous union which makes its own decisions.”