St. Maarten Private Eye

From SMN News

Philipsburg: --- The Windward Island Teachers Union (WITU) and its striking members took another step yesterday as they continue industrial actions demanding that the Island Government pay its teachers their retroactive pay immediately before they return to work. Just after 11am yesterday morning the teachers who already began actions on Monday got into their vehicles and drove to the schools that had teachers still teaching. The first school on the list of the WITU was the St. Maarten Academy (Academic) as the vehicles approached the schools the teachers began honking their horns signaling their colleagues that they were on their way. The line of cars caused tremendous traffic congestion in the St. Peters area when the vehicles stopped alongside the roads and the teachers got out clapping their hands and `calling on teachers to get out. President of the union Claire Elshot went to the Principal as well as to the teachers lounge and told the teachers she knew they are responsible for the students on campus but she is asking them to come to the WIFOL building after school and be updated as to what is taking place. During this time there it was visible that this sudden action created pandemonium at the school as many students who were already outside of the school gate. They began cheering the teachers on and told them “yes” we are in support of you. There were students who were in their classrooms pushing posters through the windows saying ‘we support WITU” Many of the teachers were seen sending back the students into the school compound as they did not want them to get hurt.

Elshot and her entourage then moved on to the PSVE section where students were also outside doing the same. Elshot was able to go into the school office and ask Mrs. Solange Duncan to send out a circular to the teachers that the union is calling them to the WIFOL Building after school; she even addressed some of the teachers who were already in the staff room waiting. Teachers of PSVE told Elshot that the only reason they did not join the actions as of Monday is because the school board had already told them that both the salary increase and retroactive payment would be made by end of February, they also conveyed to message of solidarity to the WITU.

t the St. Maarten Vocational School Elshot was told the students are presently doing examinations which would last until 3pm Friday and that the union should send them a letter saying what they need their members to do. While at the St. Dominic High and Primary School Principal of that school greeted Elshot and the other teachers at the gate and informed them that the teachers as well as management had already taken a decision to join them today. A letter from that school was sent to parents informing them that the school and its staff will be joining the action in solidarity. However, Elshot made it clear that these teachers are not there in solidarity instead they will be there claiming their rights, because whatever the union achieve will be in the interest of all teachers on St. Maarten in both public and private sectors.

The crew then moved over to both campuses of the Methodist Agogic Center where they asked both principals Cedric Hodge and Mr. Brown to inform the teachers they need to meet at the WIFOL after school yesterday. The schools tackled yesterday was mostly the government subsidized secondary schools on the island the MAC which is also a government subsidized school.

SMN News understand that Chairman of the Board of the St. Maarten Academy Josianne Fleming called an emergency meeting with her teachers yesterday and gave them a guarantee that they will be receiving their monies at the end of this month. One teacher said that Fleming told them not to go on the picket line because they will not be paid if they do. The teacher said while some of the teachers agreed not to strike for more than one reason, others are not to happy that they are held hostage. At the school yesterday from early in the morning one teacher was refusing to teach her students SMN News learnt, however, this could not be confirmed. Fleming also sent a letter thanking her teachers on Tuesday for being committed to education when she was told that none of the teachers of the St. Maarten Academy participated in the strike called on Monday.

In an invited comment Josianne Fleming said that she received a note from Elshot asking for support and she returned a note to the union president informing her that she could not support her at the school’s expense. Fleming said that the union is collecting dues from teachers each month and if they want the teachers to strike then the union should pay them for the days they are out of school. She said she did meet with her teachers and they told her they will be in school today. Asked if she is holding the teachers as hostage, she said she is not holding the teachers hostage, they are free to strike but they will not be paid for the days they did not work.

However, she made it clear that if the teachers are not paid both their retroactive salary increase and salary scales increase by month’s end then her teachers would get her full support. The school board chairman said that the reason behind her patience with government is that St. Maarten Academy lost their manager the late Mr. Vance James Jr. on January 1 2008 and he is the one who normally send in the necessary information to government. All of this she said had to be undertaken by the school board. She also said that she is really not over the loss of Mr. James a good friend and colleague to handle a strike now.

In the meantime, Commissioner of Education Sarah Wescot Williams at the Executive Press briefing held yesterday morning said that she did all that is humanly possible for the payments to be made by the end of the month. She said that the respective school boards would have to take a decision as to how they would proceed with the matter as government had already explained its position. She urged the teachers to go back to work because by striking they will not achieve anything. The education commissioner said she hoped that the teachers would not risk loosing their pay for the days they did not work.
She added that it is the parents and students who are suffering from the industrial actions since these parents are forced to find alternative care for their children.
In the meantime finance commissioner Roy Marlin explained that the finance department has promised to work over time to get the teachers salaries regulated for the end of February, he said adjusting the salaries takes a lot of work because it is tedious and long hours of work to be completed. Marlin explained that some of the calculations have to be done individually for example the NAF 150 allowance and the 16.3% Windward Islands allowance that has to be integrated into the gross salaries. He said that it would be in the best interest of the teachers to end their actions and go back to work now and if by February 29 the process is not completed then they and the union would have every right to take whatever actions they deemed necessary.

add new comment