BUT head facing challengers, ‘confident’ of survival

Embattled Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) President Sean Spencer today declared confidence in his ability to withstand ongoing attempts within the union to unseat him.

Just a week after former BUT Public Relations Officer Dwayne Goddard demanded Spencer’s resignation, accusing him of poor representation, the union leader said he believes his record over the last two years suggests that BUT members remain firmly in favour of his leadership.

He told Barbados TODAY: “I remain quietly confident in my standing among the membership.

“More so, the recent expressions of support in the union have seen increased membership.

“We have seen increases in the ranks of active teachers for the first time in approximately four years.”

But by the end of the week, Goddard said he expects to have the 20 signatures needed from fellow members to secure a special meeting to consider a motion of non-confidence.

He cited verbal attacks on educators by Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw over the last 12 months to which Spencer had failed to respond, along with failure on two occasions to carry out the directives of the membership to demand an apology from Bradshaw.

He also accused Spencer of failing to implement his own three-point plan.

A source close to the leadership told Barbados TODAY that Spencer would be asked to answer questions from the membership about his resignation as assistant General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations (CTUSAB).

The source indicated that the resignation occurred while Spencer was at a CTUSAB meeting in October during which he was asked to leave.

The source suggested more details would be brought to light in the coming weeks and could have damning repercussions for Spencer’s future at the helm of the union.

The source told Barbados TODAY: “The BUT sent him to CTUSAB and he took it upon himself to make a unilateral decision because of something that took place and he resigned.

“He did not tell them why he resigned.

“He is allowing certain affiliations to cloud his judgment. If the membership gives you a mandate.

“You have to carry it out but he refuses to do any such thing.”

But when questioned about the incident, both Spencer and CTUSAB Gneral Secretary Dennis DePeiza flatly declined comment.

“That matter, I have no comment to make on. It is not a matter for the public domain. I have no comment to make. Absolutely none,” declared DePeiza.

Spencer responded to other allegations levelled against him on Monday evening, tellling Barbados TODAY that while he acknowledged Goddard’s right to voice his concerns, his allegations were misplaced.

He said: “As I emphasised during the Annual Conference in April, some of the March 5 comments made by the Minister of Education were distasteful and unwarranted.

“However, the Minister has repeatedly stressed that she has no intention of retracting any of those particular comments.

“The concerns of the membership regarding those statements were addressed in a BUT press statement on March 11 and again when I addressed the CTUSAB press conference on April 10.”

Spencer further contended that on December 9, the BUT provided a comprehensive response to the Education Minister’s comments on December 6, which raised the ire of many teachers at Christ Church Foundation School’s Speech Day.