The Unions are flexing

On Thursday the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) announced that eight of the ten branches would participate in a demonstration in Belmopan during Friday’s sitting of the House of Representatives.  Our teachers are standing up against the passing of the Education and Training Bill, 2009, without additional consultations and review.

When you put this into perspective, what Belizeans are seeing is that in just two years of the Barrow administration, the BNTU is now prepared to demonstrate against a government that was elected with the largest mandate in Belize’s modern electoral history.  So what has gone so wrong so quickly?

Many things have gone wrong, but two biggest are the UDP’s arrogance and incompetence!

At his press conference the Prime Minister announced that the Public Service Union (PSU) and the BNTU were making some unreasonable demands on government. The Unions he claimed were demanding pay raises of over $122 million.  In the present economic hard times the Prime Mister proclaimed that the Unions were being unreasonable and that they would get nada, zero pay increase.

The Unions were shocked by the Prime Minister’s public remarks. They haven’t yet sat down to a meeting with the Ministerial sub-committee to discuss this issue, and already they are told, “it’s not going to happen.”   Since 12th September 2008 the Unions have been trying to sit down with government; since 2008 they have been trying to meet with their Prime Minister.

The BNTU president, Mr. Jaime Panti along with Ms. Jackie Willoughby, after trying without success, had no choice but to get the attention of Government by going to the media.

Mr. George Frazier, the Executive Secretary to the BNTU also met the media and explained that they have made no request from government for a $122 million dollar increase in salaries over the next three years. He also pointed out that even if that were so, the parties would present their bargaining positions and then negotiate an agreement.

Since there was no coming together at the bargaining table, it was obvious that the Prime Minister in raising the issue of the $122 million was grand standing in public.  As a result of this, 11th February, in an effort to remove the egg from his face, so to speak, the Prime Minister had to publicly apologize to the unions.

This quarrelsome and confrontational approach seems to be the way the UDP governs. The Minister of Education when he introduced the Education and Training Bill last year, set off started by setting off a public fight with the Church managed schools. These school managers had serious concerns over the bill in particularly the issue of losing control in the hiring, transferring and firing of incompetent teachers. School Mangers felt that there were being given responsibility over these schools with no authority over their teachers.

At first, Minister Faber, refused to bend,  he proceeded full speed ahead attacking these school management and on several occasions even hinted that serious changes must be made to the Church\State partnership.

It is only after much pressure from the Churches that Minister Faber decided to listen. After much hesitation and damage to his agenda, he finally decided to meet with the Catholic Bishop’s Commission and listen to their concerns.  After that fateful meeting, the Minister committed to withdraw all the offensive amendments to the Education and Training Bill, this time at the risk of losing the support of the BNTU with whom he did not consult before taking such decisions.

Governance doesn’t always have to confrontational. We in the Peoples’ United Party always governed with an open door policy. We were always willing to dialogue even when we did not agree with the demands of the Unions.

In 2005, because of the difficulties with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), our government was forced to hold back the last promised pay increases to the Unions. The Unions weren’t happy and after several meetings decided to strike.

The Unions came to Belmopan in protest and were joined by the United Democratic Party who ironically is now the government. They came in large numbers to Belmopan, broke up the steps of the National Assembly, broke windows and torched a few vehicles.

Despite all these troubles, the PUP kept the dialogue going. At one time Ambassador Assad Shoman was our main negotiator and other public servants such as Carla Barnett and Joe Waight kept the negotiations going.

Our Prime Minister Honorable Said Musa felt that notwithstanding our differences with the Unions we must continue the negotiations. All ministers were instructed to continue the dialogue. I remember as Deputy Prime Minister heading several meeting with the Unions. After much headed debate, the government caved in to their demands.

And this leads me to the present. I believe that the Barrow government must stop this governance of arrogance and incompetence. The Barrow government needs only to look at recent history and realize that once the Unions are united in a cause there is no stopping them.

It would do well for the Prime Minister and his Ministers to get off their arrogant ministerial high horses and delay the passing Education and Training Bill 2009.

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