The Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers says long-standing issues affecting educators remain unresolved, pointing to gaps in school security, delayed retroactive salary payments and the non-payment of travel allowances for teachers assigned to multiple campuses.
Speaking during an interview on ABS, Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers General Secretary Sharon Clifford Kelsick said the union is “not satisfied with the security issue at all,” noting that some schools continue to operate without adequate protection despite provisions in the collective bargaining agreement.
She said teachers have reported arriving at schools where “there was either no security or insufficient security personnel on the plant,” adding that while some concerns are addressed at individual schools, the problem has not been resolved at a national level.
Under the existing agreement, schools are required to have adequate security, including manned security when teachers and students are on campus. Kelsick said the union continues to insist that “they need to be protected.”
On teacher remuneration, Kelsick said payments of retroactive salary increases remain uneven. While some teachers received back pay in December, others are still waiting.
“The government did say that the deadline would be the 31st of January,” she said, adding that “nobody really enjoys back pay when it comes in bits and pieces.” She said teachers want the matter settled fully and transparently.
ABUT President Casroy Charles said the issue of arrears stems from protracted contract negotiations and warned that public statements suggesting the matter has been resolved are inaccurate.
“That’s not the case,” Charles said. Based on the union’s calculations, he said settling outstanding arrears would require “approximately four and a half months’ salary,” noting that only part of that amount has been paid so far.
Charles also raised concerns about teachers who have retired or left the service, questioning whether systems are in place to ensure they receive payments owed to them. “Do you have their banking information? Do you have their contacts?” he asked.
Another unresolved matter, Charles said, involves teachers required to travel between multiple school campuses using their own vehicles. Although the collective bargaining agreement provides for compensation, he said affected teachers have yet to receive any payment.
“Some teachers are asked to go to multiple campuses, using their own vehicle, their own resources, and they’re not compensated for that,” Charles said. “That’s an unfair practice.”
He said the Ministry of Education has acknowledged that such teachers should be compensated, but the issue remains unsettled.
Union leaders said they will continue pressing the government to address the outstanding matters as negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement remain stalled.