St. Maarten Private Eye

From SMN News

Pay All of Us--- No Warning Letters and Salary Deductions will be Accepted ---- WITU--- Academy Teachers Claimed they are Threatened

Philipsburg: --- Teachers from most of the schools on St. Maarten joined the actions for justice taken by the Windward Islands Teachers Union which began on Monday. Some ten teachers of the St. Maarten Academy joined the protest action even though they claim they were threatened by Chairman of the school board Josiane Fleming Artsen who said she will not pay the teachers who joined the picket line. One teacher told her colleagues in the field that teachers of the St. Maarten Academy who are mostly foreign are afraid they would loose their jobs, lost of pay or given nasty letters like those they received in 2004. The teacher said that yesterday one of the other members of the school board who never saw it fit to visit them when Mr. James passed away was at the school taking a roll call as who participated in the protest action.

President of the WITU Claire Elshot was gathering her teachers yesterday morning to take them to register for the ACED workshop and they even agreed to pay the registration fee after they learnt the island Lt. Governor sent out a letter to school boards saying that those teachers who did not participate in the planned workshop will not be paid for the two days,(Thursday and Friday). However as Elshot was preparing to leave the WIFOL building, Commissioner of Finance Roy Marlin called Elshot and told her he would be visiting them at the recreation centre. Marlin told the striking teachers that he was busy trying to secure the checks for government subsidized schools latest 3pm yesterday but those teachers from public schools would have to wait until the end of the month for their retroactive payments because those monies have been added to their February payroll. Marlin then made a second visit to the WIFOL building and notified Elshot that all government subsidized school boards will get the checks at 3pm and that he got confirmation from the school boards that they will pay their teachers latest today. He said that because they are in the first round of checking the public school teacher’s adjustment their monies can only be sent to the bank by February 27 and teachers should be able to get their monies by February 28.

However, the teachers said that they would not allow the island government to create a division among them and they took a motion which stated that they will not go back to work unless 100% teachers on St. Maarten are paid their retroactive payments. Added to that motion the teachers and its union will not accept none of its members to be given nasty letters or any type of sanctions including lost of wages. This motion Elshot said will be sent to the commissioners of education and finance as well as all school boards.
In the meantime all five of the island council members from the national alliance faction went over to WIFOL to give the teachers their support. Leader of the National Alliance and Senator William Marlin who was the first president of the Windward Island Teachers Union (WITU) 35 years ago applauded the teachers for standing up for what is right.
He cautioned the teachers not to allow anyone including parents to shift the blame on them. “Presently government is trying to shift that blame saying that they are jeopardizing education by staying out.” Marlin said the only one who is jeopardizing education is the commissioner of education Sarah Wescot Williams and the commissioner of finance Roy Marlin.

He said that the teachers fight are indeed justified and felt this is the sole reason fewer students are opting for the teaching profession. Marlin said that government are taking away their benefits little by little and this is not an encouraging trend. He said that he knew that their patience has run out because they are struggling years now. Marlin says that based on what he was told government is trying to make the payment as soon as 3 pm today (yesterday) shows that they (the teachers) are right. He said in the beginning they were told the 1st January 2008, then February 15 which passed, then mid March to end of February. “Teachers the longer you stay they will work harder to get things done.” He said.

Marlin said 35 years ago he stood alone to defend teachers because his colleagues was also threatened and intimidated when they decided to protest against injustice and today the island government as well as school boards are trying to do the same thing. “This is what you call the divide and rule tactic”.

He cautioned the teachers that they should not only stand up for their monies but should any of their colleagues get a warning letter or pay cut they should come out and support that teacher. “Today it might that teacher from another school, but tomorrow it can be you because they want to slowly weed you all out” he said.”
Also supporting WITU is the Windward Health Care Union, who sent someone to address the teachers. Patricia Pantophlet who is not well also made an address to the teachers.
The following is the list of schools participating in the week long industrial action.

*Sister Borgia School
* St. Joseph School
*Oranje School
* Sundial School
*Genève De Weever School
* Sister Marie Lawerence School
*Dr. Martin Luther King School
* St. Maarten Academy (Academic)
*Sister Magda School
*Prince Willem Alexander School
*Hillside Christian School
*Ruby Labega School
*Milton Pieters College
*St. Dominic High School
*St. Dominic Primary School
*Charles Leopold Bell School
* Lionel Connor School
*Regina Labega School

Not Participating

Methodist Agogic Centre Campus 1&2
St. Maarten Academy PSVE
St. Maarten Vocational School (in exams)
Seventh Day Adventist School

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