BNTU Disagrees With Governments Proposal For Salary Increase
This afternoon the Belize National Teachers Union Orange Walk Branch, held a meeting with its members at the Gala Lounge where the main topic of discussion was the Collective Bargaining Agreement which includes a salary increase.
For the past four years B.N.T.U has been negotiating a teacher’s salary increase with the present Government but has been unable to come to an agreement due to a number of reasons. The last time teachers received a salary increment was back in 2007 under the People’s United Party.
Today when we spoke to President of BNTU Orange Walk Branch, Otilio Munoz, he told us that BNTU has reached the end of the road and there will be no more negotiations. According to Munoz a recent proposal was made to BNTU by the Government of Belize but teacher’s country wide are not in support of the proposal.
Otilio Munoz, President BNTU O/W Branch
“BNTU has already finalized to say that we have proposed and government has not responded, we are looking at salary increment for teachers and we have not gotten it yet and we have stopped negotiations but due to the fact that elections were called on the 7th of March then everything is on hold but the union is looking at some kind of compromising with both leaders the PUP and the UDP as it pertains to that agreement into the collective bargaining agreement and we are set we don’t have no more negotiations, we have made our final decision.”
Otilio Munoz, President BNTU O/W Branch
“The ministry of education if professionalizing, simply they are going to be categorizing teachers into different level of category, they have the uncertified teacher, they have the newly qualified teacher, we have the junior teachers, we have the accomplished teachers then we will have another group which will be known as the master expert teacher, so these are the changes that they are proposing to us as union but we are not accepting it simply because they have an agenda behind it. When it comes to increment to salary increment there are holding teachers on that they are not going to be getting increments right away, they are going to be getting on additional increment if you are you are master expert teacher you will be getting two additional increments and like that you go over a certain period of years and that is the crucial part of what they are proposing.”
Another hot topic of discussion today was the time off for pay day. Viewers might recall that in the past teachers were awarded a time off every last Friday of the month in order to collect their monthly salary. But the Minister of Education Patrick Faber decided to discontinue the time off for teachers. But today, according to Munoz, teachers decided to take a stand and passed a resolution which states that members of BNTU Orange Walk Branch will take their time off to collect their pay no matter what.
Otilio Munoz, President BNTU O/W Branch
“Other issue has to do with the half day, with the time off, I would say the time off to collect teachers pay, yes it is an issue the Belize National Teachers Union issued a press release yesterday where we are saying that the teachers can go ahead and still take their time-off to collect their pay because we don’t have any compromise when it comes to the MOE, management and especially the ministry of education so it is not set as yet so because of that then the BNTU did that press release so the Orange Walk teachers voice it out, we had the national press as I mentioned and we pass a resolution with us Orange Walk branch so it is a resolution being passed that the teachers of the Orange Walk Branch will be taking time-off to collect their pay for this end of month coming and for other until an agreement is made between management, BNTU and MOE.”
Of note is that BNTU Orange Walk Branch will be hosting this year teacher’s convention set for the 11th and 12th of April.
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