The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Educators Managerial Union has rejected the Ministry of Education’s claim that it has substantively addressed administrators’ promotion concerns, with union president Stephen McPhee accusing officials of misrepresenting recent meetings and warning that members could invoke an existing strike certificate if longstanding disputes remain unresolved.

Mr McPhee said the ministry’s assertion that it met with BEMU twice within six weeks was misleading because the engagements were introductory rather than substantive, while recently announced promotions did not involve the longstanding cases the union has been pressing officials to resolve.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology responded last week to concerns raised by BEMU by saying it had met with the union twice within six weeks to discuss the teacher shortage and administrators’ promotions. It also said a substantial number of administrators had recently been promoted.

Mr McPhee disputed that account.

“Those are not the promotions that we'd ask the minister and his team to come and deal with. They are not members of BAMU,” he said.

He said BEMU’s concerns involve promotions connected to a Supreme Court filing from 2021, promotions completed from 2018 and members who applied for advancement last year but were not promoted.

Mr McPhee also challenged the ministry’s characterisation of its recent meetings with the union.

“It couldn't have been because the permanent secretary just took office six weeks ago, and we did not even have anything other than an introductory meeting with just the president and a few executive officers just last week,” he said.

Mr McPhee said the union met after receiving what it regarded as an inadequate response from the ministry and maintained that its central concerns about promotions, salaries and working conditions remained unanswered.

He questioned why education managers, including principals, vice principals, district superintendents and assistant directors of education, were still waiting for promotion letters and related salary increases.

BEMU said some principals, vice principals and senior mistresses who are currently accompanying ministry officials on assessment tours ahead of the reopening of schools have been waiting since 2016 for promotion-related increases.

The union said some officers are owed an additional $58.33 per month, while an assistant director of education is due an additional $116.66 per month.

Mr McPhee questioned why those increases had remained outstanding for years while affected administrators continued carrying out their duties.

“When we say to the public we cannot go any longer, we're asking the public to please accept and appreciate that this is wrong and any law-abiding citizen who can agree that someone should be waiting from 2016 on a matter of promotion, because it appeared shocking when the public was informed it's just $58.33 extra per month. At maximum, an assistant director of education, $116.66,” Mr McPhee said. “I gotta wait six years for it?”

Mr McPhee said BEMU wrote to education officials on May 22, July 20 and July 30 seeking a substantive meeting on the outstanding promotions, its expired industrial agreement and members’ working conditions, but had yet to receive what it considered a substantive response.

He also raised concerns about district superintendents reportedly serving on recruitment committees on weekends without clarity over overtime arrangements and said morale among members was “extremely low”.

Against that backdrop, Mr McPhee warned that the union already has a strike certificate covering disputes over promotions and salary payments.

“We have a strike certificate that says, on these promotions, on this denial of salary, you have a right to engage in a strike,” he said.

Mr McPhee stressed that BEMU would not engage in illegal industrial action but said members could activate the certificate through a general meeting and majority vote.