And while that fuse is burning for Saldivar in Utah, another is burning in Belize for the other leadership candidate, Patrick Faber. As we’ve been reporting - the Teachers Union is not happy with the Ministry of Education for changes it wants to make to the Education Rules. The Union has already taken a poll of its members asking if they want to take industrial action. And tomorrow they meet with the Minister of Education. Today, at a press conference held by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, we asked what was the result of that poll:
Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say what came out of the poll that the teachers nationally took, the union took on whether it should proceed with industrial action?"
Hon. Elena Smith - President, BNTU
"We prefer not to say that now because we don't want anyone to think we are going into a meeting with other intentions. So we want to go into tomorrow's meeting with a clear head knowing that we will be sitting around the table, earnestly wanting to resolve issues but I'll tell you this much, our teachers have had enough."
Jules Vasquez
"What do you want to come out of that meeting tomorrow or what has your membership told you we must leave the meeting with in order to be satisfied?"
Hon. Elena Smith
"With resolutions. We don't want any promises, we don't want to hear, we will deal with it next week, we will discuss it, we will have another meeting - we want resolutions tomorrow."
And a lot of the dispute centers over the number of teaching days. The education rules say there must be 180 in every year, and the ministry says it must now adjust the law to make sure that is realized. But, the union says, by its reckoning no adjustment is really necessary:
Hon. Elena Smith
"Jules we are aware that there has to be process of consultation to make amendments to the rules and we knew that because of the Christmas break and the change that was made, there had to be an amendment to the Christmas break. However, as you would be aware, the proposed amendments were not just to the Christmas break but the entire vacation rules in general. We believe that if it is you are saying to us, that we will make a change or we will grant you your wishes but we'll have to make the amendments to match those wishes, that is fine with us but don't come and tell us that we are going to grant you your wishes and then come and make a change or try to make a change and say to me, we're going to make a change and in making that change, you must give me back what I gave you. So you heard again Dr. Babb mentioned that the minister was quite nice to give the teachers the extra week, you don't give and take back, if you give, you give. So, to say to me I gave you an extra week and come now and want to amend and have to make up, that's not giving."
Jules Vasquez
"But you have this unchangeable issue of the 180 days which must be met according to the law."
Hon. Elena Smith
"And if you look at their schedule and you look at their calendar, it's says 38 weeks, multiply that for me. Well you're saying we should have 180 right, and we go 38 by 5, is 190 minus a day here and there for a union meeting, that kind of thing."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay so you're saying that all of the current formula, you are still meeting that 180."
Hon. Elena Smith
"Some are and some are not."
Jules Vasquez
"How do we fix that? It's the kids that need the contact days."
Hon. Elena Smith
"Listen, if as teachers we weren't thinking of the kids, we would not take from our salaries to buy supplies. We won't take from our salaries to feed them, we don't take from our salaries to purchase textbooks for them to ensure that we can carry through with our work. We wouldn't be doing any of those things and every time we come to this point, the first thing the ministry says, oh the children, the children. We have teachers who care about our children more than the ministry could ever do."
We also asked Union President Smith if he run-on is attacking the government when it at tis lowest ebb - racked by major corruption scandals at the National Sports Council, and dogged by claims that a ranking minister took a bribe form an international criminal. Smith says they’re not opportunists:
Hon. Elena Smith
"BNTU does not need to attack anybody when they are at their lowest. We are prepared for them at any time. So this is not a time we can say we're being advantageous. We have as you said before, publicly, we have tried our very best to work with this ministry, we've had meetings with them, we've had discussions with them, conversations with them to try to resolve these issues amicably, without having to resort to any type of industrial action. We've seen where it has not worked, the ministry continues to disrespect our union and our teachers and we are at the point where we will no longer tolerate such disrespect."
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