Belize National Teachers’ Union votes for industrial action; can government clear backlog by New Year?

Published by BBNTEAM at December 9, 2024

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Posted: Monday, December 9, 2024. 12:41 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: Teachers could be headed back to the streets in January after an overwhelming majority of members of the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) voted to pursue industrial action at meetings at the district level last week.

A total of 1,882 of 1,916 members so voted after internal BNTU data showed that at least three-quarters of members failed to get their monthly allowances or annual increments dating back to September.

BNTU President Nadia Caliz says that figure has now increased to 90 percent of membership and so the matter is being treated with urgency: “…the votes cast [Thursday] night gave the BNTU the mandate to act on this and treat it with urgency… There is a black and white that goes to the Ministry of Education outlining what the teachers are asking for and it that is not adhered to or followed any at all then there’s where you go into what we call [industrial action]. Right now they have voted for a demonstration in January there’s no date set for that because we have to allow for the dialogue and the other portion to take place so the black and white leaves our office [Friday] for the Ministry of Education.”

At the recent meeting between the Ministry and Union, according to Caliz, Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora was unable to give an answer when directly asked whether increments and allowances would be paid before the end of the year, and said she would have to look into a supplementary financing if that is the way forward.

Caliz said they want what is rightfully theirs: “For me I don’t want them to act to avoid a demonstration. I want them to act because it is the right thing to do.”

However, Prime Minister John Briceño said the Union should not be so quick to demonstrate, blaming school managements for the delays: “..most of these issues are issues that start at the management and if the management doesn’t send it to the ministry, the ministry can’t process it. That is one. Secondly, unfortunately, the BNTU for everything, oh they want strike, they want strike. … Minister of Education, Minister Fonseca pointed out to me, he said, listen, we have been clearing up a backlog. There was a backlog from 2018 and now we’ve been bringing up this backlog, it’s all the way up to 2023. So now we’re working on 2024. … The leadership knows what we’re doing and I think it’s incumbent on them to explain to explain to their members what’s happening and as much as they want the money, and I understand that, we are working on it, and doing our best to be able to give them what they rightly deserve.”

Caliz counters that it will soon become about more than just money: “Teachers are leaving like never before there are still empty classrooms in this country and in order for those students to get quality education you find that these classes are divided and in some instances there is nobody there. None. Now why is it that we have teachers leaving? Because of all of these nuances so either you fix it and bring love back to the profession or you continue to allow it but I am telling you come 2025… they will have some challenges because a number of them have expressed to us that they are leaving education so who will be here? Who will be in the country now to educate the nation’s future? Who?”

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