By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE filing of five trade disputes by the Bahamas Union of Teachers was a “premature” move, Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said yesterday suggesting he did not expect this action when the government had been “more than accommodating” to the BUT in prior negotiations.

BUT President Belinda Wilson confirmed the disputes were filed several weeks ago and have already gone into the conciliation phase, with the third meeting of this kind to convene next Tuesday.

She added the union had every right to file the disputes if it felt meetings yielded no resolution.

Meanwhile, Mr Lloyd said the Ministry of Education has still not decided what will be the fate of 200 contract workers employed in his ministry but he said the $200m the country loses each year to corruption is correlated to a culture of “slackness” across government ministries. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis recently released this staggering figure to a reporter on the sidelines of a conference in Lima, Peru.

“The ministry, myself personally and the president of the union (Belinda Wilson) and her executive team have been working from the day that we were elected and I was appointed on addressing these outstanding issues and I think it is patently unfair to that very good effort we were making in good faith for these filings to have occurred.”

The South Beach MP said nothing materially beneficial was achieved by the union filing the disputes with the Labour Board, adding it neither gave the union an advantage in the pace or settling of the negotiations.

“So what’s the point? Especially when we have been more than accommodating to engage in a harmonious, friendly (and) respectful way.

“So we think that’s very unfair and they are still a most essential stakeholder in the delivery of education in this country and we will continue to work with them. So let’s do it in a spirit of harmony and faith and all of the other attributes that a relationship of this nature calls for.”

Asked if this move by the BUT would affect upcoming negotiations on the union’s industrial agreement, Mr Lloyd said it would not.

“No, no. We can’t afford anything to be a hindrance. Listen, you know how crucial (and) vital teachers are to this process. All of us are here because of the investment made in our lives by teachers and so this ministry respects that.”

He also said: “So no, there’s not going to be an impediment to our negotiations with the union. We are going to sit down in good faith and we are going to lay the cards on the table and we are going to come to a resolution of our differences where they may be any, but we want to be partners. We want to be team members going forward for the benefit of our people, that’s what we are about.”

Regarding the 200 workers, Mr Lloyd said they will either be disciplined or fired if it is found they have not performed the duties they are paid to do.

“Ten per cent of our revenue so to speak is being lost every year to whatever you want to call it – corruption, slackness, waste, inefficiency and so on. We are in the process of putting in place the proper procurement process which even might be brought in by legislation so that everything is above board and there is accountability throughout the system - not just the politicians, the public sector and the private sector as well in that you are dealing with the people’s money, the taxpayers’ money. We must be judicious. We must be wise.  We’ve got to be prudent in how we manage and spend that money and it’s only fair because I want my taxpayer dollars to go for the purpose for which it was intended.”

He also said: “The (200 workers) are going to be disciplined and are being disciplined and/or fired.  We ain’t wasting no government money and this ministry is not going to participate in a culture of slackness and dishonesty. We just are not going to do it.

“The Bahamian people did not put us here to perpetuate the status quo. We are here to attack it, destroy it and to replace it with a society of accountability, responsibility, proficiency, efficiency and respect for one another.”