President Pedro Shepherd Accused of Lacking Integrity

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Submitted by P Seale

For a long time I have been annoyed by the things I have been hearing about the BUT. Teachers are being badly treated by the ministry and the union has been doing nothing about it. Since being elected the president is silent on the key issues he was pushing to be on the agenda and I do not know if the union still functions.

In 2011 there were people making claims with the BUT health plan who paid no premiums. Some of them were friends of executive members and there was no charges after the audit. The broker made payments to Sagicor and never provided the union with any details. President Karen Best said the plan was over $300,000 in arrears. Sagicor later agreed to write off the arrears. Over $30,000 went missing from the office too. After I heard that, I got health insurance with Guardian.

I know the union saved thousands of dollars last year. There was annual conference on Zoom, no CUT travel, a scaled down Teachers Week and no Christmas luncheon last year. As a member, I hope the treasurer is keeping a close eye on the coffers. She should mind how much money they are paying the brothers of the president to spruce up the union.

In June, Mr. Shepherd wanted Mr. Spencer to have Zoom meetings to hear our views. He made that clear in the BUT Facebook group. Now Mr. Shepherd is president he doesn’t see the need to meet with us to hear our views any more.

Mr. Shepherd seconded the no-confidence motion Dwane Goddard brought against Mr. Spencer last year. Twenty people signed. Half of them work with Mr. Shepherd at Wilkie or were named Shepherd.

  • Mr. Goddard should explain why he had agreed to let his church friends raise funds for his eye surgery in 2019. In the first place he always knew the eye surgery was free.
  • He should also explain why he was leaving Arthur Smith every week to do CTUSAB business when he had no business at CTUSAB. The ministry should look into that.

I am upset that these type of people lead or have been leading my union. They lack integrity.

On the back of that, we have a minister who treats us just like Ronald Jones but sounds better. The minister will blame COVID and nobody cares about us teachers.

The union has said nothing about appointments since the amendments to the Public Service Act. Are the officers all appointed? Is it because the officers all appointed?

The president spoke about the 11+ date. What about CXC and the secondary school issues? The BUT is a primary school teachers’ union again.

7 thoughts on “President Pedro Shepherd Accused of Lacking Integrity”


  2. Yes
    Only on the the 2×3

    In the country of heaven that borders the USA there are no frauds ! There is only one big head jackass with 3 degrees that know how to fraud the USA gov for money to prop up a ghost company that is falling over itself making load of money since the start of covid

    Reply ↓

  3. I am trying to get in contact with P.Seale .
    Please ask him/to give me a call at the Barbados Union Of Teachers or email me as soon as possible.

    Reply ↓

  4. BSTU president Mary Redman

    BSTU says teacher and students need to repeat year of teaching and learning 

    Randy BennettArticle by
    Randy BennettPublished on 
    January 13, 2021 

    This year’s CXC examinations should be deferred until 2022 and fifth and sixth formers should be allowed to come back to school for an additional year.

    That is the suggestion being put forward by the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), with its president Mary Redman contending that both students and teachers have lost too much time due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The recommendation has come just days after president of the Barbados Union of Teachers’ (BUT), Pedro Shepherd called for this year’s Common Entrance Examination to be scrapped.

    In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Redman said because of the delays caused by the pandemic, which included the switch to virtual classes, teachers had been unable to complete the syllabus.

    She contended it would put students at a serious disadvantage if the examinations were held as normal in May/June or even if they were postponed for a month or two.

    “Really and truly it is not really up to CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council) to make that decision about pushing back exams. They are an examining body so their business is to have exams. It is for the regional governments to decide, looking at the reality of the COVID situation in their respective countries and recognizing the impact that it has had negatively on the ability of teachers to properly instruct syllabi,” Redman pointed out.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/01/13/bstu-says-teacher-and-students-need-to-repeat-year-of-teaching-and-learning/

    Reply ↓

  6. Pingback: Eyes on YOU President Pedro Shepherd | Barbados Underground

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