Grand Bahama Teachers Sick, Tired Of Unresolved Issues

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GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Industrial action led by members of the Trade Union Congress has impacted healthcare, education, and air traffic services across Grand Bahama this week. 

The president of the Bahamas Educators, Counsellors, and Allied Workers Union shares her perspective after several Teachers who are BECAWU union members called in sick on Monday, disrupting classes at various schools on the island.

Sandra Major, President of the Bahamas Educators, Counsellors, and Allied Workers Union sharing her candid comments. 

Major maintains her members did not participate in a strike and followed proper protocols by calling in sick, citing that they simply weren’t feeling well.

The move by Teachers forcing students to be dismissed from some Public Schools in Grand Bahama on Monday at noon.

Despite clarifying that this was not a strike, Major reveals there are ongoing Union concerns. Rental allowances is just one of the many issues.

Major says another issue is the length of time it takes for teachers to receive confirmations, which impacts their eligibility for bank loans the union president claims there are also outstanding payments despite recent meetings with education heads.

Now some have said while they understand the concerns of teachers, it’s unfair to students as they are affected, major had this response to the criticism

“Teaching requires a lot of you, and so you have to know that parents must sometimes partner with teachers to understand sometimes the teacher’s frustration. When you sit in a class of 30 children with one teacher with one fan, no one sees that. When you don’t have enough equipment, no one sees that when, when the government says to you, you must, you must do Junkanoo, and you get no material until this week, no one sees that. So teachers, when they’re not feeling well, and they have to do this, they must, they must stand because at the end of the day, if something should happen, someone is going to put a black bow on their door, and they’re going to say, next.”