BNTU Holds Productive Talks with Minister, But Industrial Action May Still Be on the Table

And while the Minister and the BNTU President agreed that today’s meeting was productive, the question remains whether it would be enough to call off the union’s mandate for industrial action.  In December the BNTU’s membership mandated that industrial action be taken if the government failed to deliver on several key promises, chief among those were the payout of frozen increments and allowances. Love News understands that those payouts began in December, but some teachers complained they had not received theirs. We asked BNTU President Nadia Caliz if today’s progress means that the action has been averted, but she said it’s not that simple. 

Nadia Cruz, President, BNTU:  “I cannot say that. That is a decision for the BNTU Council now. When members vote on anything, the Council decides from there. So I cannot say that. The Council meets this Saturday and then they’ll decide the way forward. So a lot think that everything is up to this President when it comes to industrial action. No, no, no. I am the face, I am the lead but there is a set democratic way in which the BNTU operates.”

We’ll be following up with the BNTU after their scheduled meeting on Saturday.