Submitted by Anthony Davis
The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) today put Minister of Education Ronald Jones on notice for industrial action if he does not meet with members by next Wednesday. “BUT President Pedro Shepherd sounded the warning following a more than three-hour long meeting with scores of teachers who were summoned to a 1 p.m. meeting at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium … On announcing the meeting on Wednesday evening, BUT president Pedro Shepherd said the union had issues to discuss with the teachers but he did not ‘think the issues can last us for the entire day – Barbados Today (22 April, 2016)
You are very right, Mr. Shepherd!
You did not think period, Mr. Shepherd, because you are being paid to do a job from which you and others are going AWOL without the slightest care about that said job, nor those who will suffer from your dastardly absence. Both of these actions were wildcat strikes.
If you have “no dispute with the Ministry” why did you walk out on the students?
Is that the type of conflict resolution which you are teaching the students when you give Government an ultimatum to meet with you, instead of asking for a meeting?
Pray tell me Mr. Shepherd why you called out your members for a meeting at 1 p.m. on Friday 22nd April, 2016 when you knew full well that the students were preparing for the exam of their life?
Couldn’t you have met after school, or is the welfare of your charges irrelevant to you and the others?
Don’t you get enough time off during the year?
Don’t you get about 3 months holiday plus about 3 teachers’ days?
How come there are no:
Police Officers’ days?
Immigration Officers’ days?
Customs Officers’ days?
Prison Officers’ days?
You don’t seem to know anything else but strike, thereby interrupting our children’s education!
Every time they have important exams coming up you seem to think that that’s the best time to strike.
You and Mrs. Redman are being paid by the parents/guardians of the said students whom you are depriving of their education.
I wonder how you can have the gall to pick up a cheque for what you did.
It’s time the nonsense stops.
If one doesn’t work, one should not be paid.
Therefore you shouldn’t be paid for the time you wasted Friday April 22 and Friday April 29, 2016.
How many days do the primary school children have to study for the exams now, Mr. Shepherd?
You stole two from them which means that they didn’t have any tuition on two out of five days before such an important exam, leaving parents/guardians in limbo as what to do with the children.
That was the epitome of callousness!
Leave a Reply to Well Well & ConsequencesCancel reply