BSTU still willing to talk

The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) is expecting to continue its discussions on the September 21 restart of school, despite a decision to boycott Tuesday’s meeting between secondary school teachers and the Ministry of Education.

While again defending the union’s position, BSTU President Mary Redman stressed there was no war brewing between its leaders and the Ministry, but union members had collectively decided not to attend due to “legitimate” concerns.

“It is not a breakdown in our ongoing consultations, not at all. The members of the BSTU decided not to show up because there were legitimate concerns about their health and wellbeing in such a large number of people in an enclosed, air-conditioned environment,” Redman told Barbados TODAY.

“That and the fact that no provision was made for Zoom attendance or for those who have vulnerabilities or comorbidities, and those as well who would have liked to put to the Minister how they are going to fit into the resumption of school. Of course, our union aired our discomfort with the way that changes to the original plan were made and the fact that there was no prior communication of these changed plans to the union,” she added.

An estimated 350 out of 1 300 public secondary school teachers reportedly attended the talks on the resumption of school that were also boycotted by the country’s largest teachers’ union, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT). Efforts to reach BUT leaders on Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

The BSTU president, meanwhile, explained that while the decision to boycott was taken during a “well-attended” meeting of the union on Monday, teachers would have been willing to attend if online arrangements had been made. The conditions were expressed in a letter to the Ministry of Education on Monday, to which the BSTU received no response.

“In the absence of that, they will continue to communicate their concerns to the union [executive] officers who will then communicate it to the Ministry. All of that was sent in a letter to the Minister yesterday [Monday] but, ideally, if a Zoom meeting could be held so that all persons could be facilitated, then BSTU members would be happy to participate,” the union leader told Barbados TODAY.

“We are not at war with anybody. We are trying to protect ourselves in an environment that is a hotbed for COVID,” Redman added.

Despite the rumblings, she expressed confidence that the weekly talks would continue between the parties and that a return to school on the specified date could continue to be pursued.

“Our members have been making their concerns known to us and we have been making those concerns known to the Ministry. It is really the mechanics of everything and what individual schools will do – the extent to which they can get all of the systems in place that they need to get in place towards the opening date that they have,” she explained.

“Certainly, we expect to continue with the weekly negotiations because we have to be in a position to ensure that all who use the school plant would be protected and we have to be involved with the mechanics of how the reopening will take place. The BSTU is concerned with the interest, protection and the welfare of all who use the school plant, including the students, ancillary staff and teachers,” Redman concluded. (KS)