BUT ‘out of order’

PARENTS OF STUDENTS attending schools where Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) members teach should brace for industrial action on Friday.

That’s because Minister of Education Ronald Jones has essentially told the union he will not be influenced by “coercive tactics”, while turning down their demand for a meeting by the close of business today or face a withdrawal of labour on Friday. Tomorrow is a public holiday.

Sources close to the union’s Merryhill, Welches, St Michael headquarters confirmed that yesterday afternoon they received a letter from Jones’ office, taking them to task for the tone and content of the letter they sent him on Monday demanding a meeting within 56 hours.

Noting that he and other ministry officials had always made themselves available to meet with the BUT’s leadership, Jones reminded BUT president Pedro Shepherd that he had met them twice in the last two months. They had also met with Chief Education Officer Karen Best three times recently. (RRM)

Please read the full story in today’s Midweek Nation, or in the eNATION edition.