By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson has warned that it will not be business as usual in the upcoming fall school semester if the government does not present an “acceptable” proposal for an increase of teachers’ salaries.

“We’re ready for industrial action and I can say to you that I believe it’s me who’s not pulled the plug as yet,” Mrs Wilson said yesterday.

During his 2022/2023 budget presentation last month, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told Parliament salary increases were planned for teachers, adding that both educators and nurses were to receive retention bonuses.

 However, the salary proposal has since been rejected by the BUT.

 “One may say why? Because teachers have not had a salary increase since September of 2016 – some six years ago,” Mrs Wilson said yesterday. “The salary proposed by the government is zero for year one, which is July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022; $58.33 per month raise for July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 and $58.33 per month raise for July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.”

 “This is unacceptable and again, we have rejected that proposal.

 “We are cognisant of the economic outlook, but we are also observing the government’s priorities such as an increased travel budget for 2020 to 2023 by $4.1m for parliamentarians and the large contingent that went to Dubai, we observed that.

 “And, of course, we observed the paving of the roads overnight for the visit of the Duke and Duchess. It’s only to name a few of our observations. Our proposal to the government is not exorbitant. As we negotiate for salary increases, I’ve been helping our members to keep pace with the rising costs of living with a high inflation rate.”

 The BUT president was speaking at an event hosted by The Rotary Club of West Nassau where she was the guest speaker.

 During the meeting, Mrs Wilson outlined the challenges faced by educators in a post COVID environment and also referred to their concerns surrounding outstanding industrial agreements.

 “We have been negotiating from the 25th of May 2019. Three years to conclude one agreement, which expired on the 13th of June 2018,” she told Rotarians yesterday.

 “On June the 28th 2018, I presented a comprehensive proposal to the then minister of education. It took us writing at least about ten letters, many telephone calls many emails to get to the table one year thereafter. So, we’ve been as I said earlier to the table negotiating from the 25th of May 2019. We have now concluded 99 per cent of the non-economic articles and the financial articles are still outstanding.”

 In a later interview with reporters, Mrs Wilson gave some insight into what the union considers as a reasonable proposal for teachers.

 She said: “We’ve proposed 8.3 percent in the first year and the government has proposed zero. Eight point three percent would be three increments so that’s about $2,100. In the second year, we have proposed 5.5 per cent which again equates to two increments, which would be about $1,400 and in the third year, 5.5 per cent which is $1,400 and we believe that that’s modest, especially since we’ve not had a raise since September 2016.”

 Mrs Wilson also threatened to take action if negotiations do not conclude soon, adding that the union “is ready.”

“We’re ready for industrial action and I can say to you that I believe it’s me who’s not pulled the plug as yet,” she told reporters yesterday.

“… So, we hope to wrap up these negotiations within the matter of weeks and I’m going to say to you and I’m going to let you know, there’s been a lot of teachers messaging me saying let’s do it now and we know there is examinations now - internal and external examinations. There’s report day coming up in the next few weeks but I’ve not pulled the plug but I’m telling you that schools will not open in the fall business as usual. So, it is incumbent on the government to put together a package that is acceptable to us for us to be able to take to our members for us to conclude these negotiations because it’s been going on for too long now.”