Teachers back in
classrooms today
~ Salaries paid, but some grievances remain ~
PHILIPSBURG--A spontaneous show of hands Monday night brought an end to the teachers’ “action for justice” (read strike) that had effectively crippled most schools in St. Maarten since last week Monday.
Confirmation that the retroactive pay for teachers at the public schools had been deposited by the Island Government at the various commercial banks finally brought the strike to a close.
Confirmation and the unanimous approval of a motion at last night’s well-attended meeting at the Windward Islands Federation of Labour (WIFOL) building on the Pondfill also meant that teachers will return to their classrooms today, much to the delight of parents, many of whom had complained about being at their wits’ end trying to decide what to do with their school-age children.
With Bob Marley’s “Don’t worry about a thing” cued on the public address system, teachers began dancing, hugging and congratulating each other on what many described as a “tough battle” with government for their just entitlement.
Windward Island Teachers Union (WITU) President Claire Elshot’s declaration that the teachers’ struggle had paid off was met with thunderous applause that filled the WIFOL Convention Centre, the meeting place for union members since the start of the strike last Monday.
The end-of-strike motion also included a resolve that no teacher would be penalised for standing up for his or her rights by participating in the strike. If action is taken against any WITU member, the union and teachers are ready to stand united against any such injustice, according to the union leader.
“The WITU sees no further need for action, with the understanding that no teachers are penalised in any form or fashion by any school board, school management or government for this action,” read last night’s unanimously-approved motion.
The teachers also stated that although they saw “no need for further action at this time,” that did not mean that other education issues “that need to be addressed, should not be dealt with post-haste.”
Speaking to the press, an overjoyed Elshot said the salaries would be available to the teachers as of tomorrow because the money had been put into their accounts. However, each teacher will have to work out whether the correct amount based on the new salary scale and the correct retroactive pay have been deposited. They have 30 days to make any queries.
Although teachers will be back in the classrooms today, Elshot said there were still a number of outstanding issues that needed to be remedied to ensure teachers would be able to give their best to students. Among the issues are the slow or non-processing of purchase orders for vital class and hygiene materials such as toilet paper and cleaners. She said teachers must not only be expected to be innovative in education, but must also be given the tools with which to do so.
