Opposition Accuses Government of Neglecting Teachers’ Plight

The Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, says the government is not considering the plight of teachers despite GOB pledging to resolve various issues. This month, the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) voted to hold a demonstration in January if outstanding increments and allowances owed to teachers are not paid by the end of the year. The union claimed the issue has lingered for too long and said it was not getting the result it wanted. However yesterday, the Ministry of Education’s Chief Executive Officer wrote to the union assuring them that all overdue payments will be settled by December 20. Nonetheless, today, the LOO spoke on the issue and called on the government to resolve the issue by month’s end.

Moses Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “What we see in the Briceño administration, Madam Speaker, is the rot of the old guard who are entrenched in their old ways of managing the affairs of the people. The old ways, Madam Speaker, of dither, delay, deceive, and never deliver. Bureaucracy rather than betterment, Madam Speaker, has been the hallmark of this Briceño administration. You would think that with 30 years of experience as Member of Parliament and 13 consecutive years waiting to form government that this Prime Minister and his administration would not take another four years to deliver on their promises to give the teachers what they are due, Madam Speaker. Why does it take that the BNTU has to overwhelmingly vote, Madam Speaker, to take industrial action for the government to do what is right and deliver what was promised to the teachers. Because this government simply does not care about the struggles of the Belizean people. They only care about themselves and their cronies, Madam Speaker. They prove it over and over again.”

Responding to Barrow was Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, who lambasted Barrow’s statements on the government’s efforts to assist educators. Hyde spoke on the work that has gone into assisting teachers, particularly resolving the collective bargaining agreement that had been outstanding for sixteen years.

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister: “That wasn’t happening. So you’ve had hundreds if not thousands of teachers who upon retirement were unable to get their full pension benefits and that held up the collective borrowing agreement for almost 18 years and this government was able to solve that problem. This government has taken on that responsibility to spend I don’t know how many million, probably ten million dollars a year additionally to ensure that all teachers no matter where they work whenever they retire percent of their pension benefits. We are not trying to hurt teachers. Far from it. Each of us recognize that if you see any successful person in this country they would have had a master teacher two or three or four during the course of their lifetime. We wouldn’t be where we are without great teachers in this country and we’ve been blessed to have them and we are trying to keep them as fast as and because the truth is we have been losing them and we are trying our very best to keep them and make sure that they get what is theirs and so coming to the problem of the allowances and increments and all that stuff. The minister told the nation that this is a problem that we inherited. But we’re not going to cry about it. We’re going to solve the problem. And we’ve been working hard at it. But the minister has given a full commitment that we are going to work even harder on it to make sure that come December 20th, teachers who have not gotten their increments, who have not gotten their allowances, and in the case of increments, I don’t know how long, you have teachers what? Going back 6, 8, 7 years, we’ve not gotten that. We are going to make sure that on December 20th, all those persons get their monies that are due to them.”

The Union’s president Nadia Caliz, who is currently out of the country, has yet to provide comment on the Ministry’s response.