BUT ups leave reinstatement demands

The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has escalated its campaign for the reinstatement of a term’s vacation leave, a benefit that has been effectively withheld from educators for over a decade.

BUT president Rudy Lovell on Tuesday accused the government of continuous delays and unfair treatment, warning of potential further action if the issue remains unresolved.

Despite repeated engagements with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Public Service (MPS), the issue remains unresolved, leaving teachers frustrated and the union demanding urgent action, Lovell said.

“This is an issue of fairness and respect for our educators,” he told Barbados TODAY. “Teachers have upheld their end of the bargain, dedicating their lives to shaping the next generation, yet they are being denied a fundamental right that was clearly outlined in General Orders.”

The provision of term leave, which granted teachers a term off with full pay after 15 years of service and every five years thereafter, was suspended in 2014 without prior consultation with the BUT. The Ministry of Education initially claimed the change would last just one year. A decade later, many teachers remain unable to access the leave they were promised.

The union pursued legal action to reverse the decision, filing a claim for judicial review in 2017. The High Court handed down a written judgment in December 2023, yet despite subsequent meetings with government officials, the situation remains in limbo, Lovell said.

Following a meeting last May, the ministry expressed support for reinstating the leave but has yet to implement any concrete measures. The BUT has repeatedly raised the matter in quarterly meetings and formally wrote to the ministry again this month, pressing for an update.

After a direct call from Lovell to a senior education official last Tuesday, the union was told that a response from the Ministry of the Public Service was expected the next day, he said. But further discussions were deemed necessary, delaying any resolution yet again, he added.

“This continuous back-and-forth is unacceptable,” Lovell asserted. “We have been patient, we have followed the proper channels, yet the government keeps delaying. Our teachers cannot continue to be sidelined.”

He further revealed that despite some teachers receiving their second term’s vacation leave in the 2024-2025 academic year, others who applied for their second or third leave have been met with rejection letters citing outdated memoranda from 2014.

The BUT has proposed increasing the annual quota of eligible teachers from 250 (in the primary school and secondary school system) to 300 to begin addressing the backlog. However, no formal response has been received regarding this recommendation, the union said.

Lovell warned that the BUT will not back down from the cause: “Teachers are the backbone of our education system. If the government truly values education, it must act now.”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb