Teacher protests non-payment for six months

Tyson English, former Physical Education Instructor at the Bishops’ High School, is pleading with the Education Ministry to “walk the talk” as he seeks legal advice regarding his predicament.
He has not been paid a salary for the last six months, and now assumes he has been dismissed following his staging of a one-man protest outside of the school last Friday.

The PE instructor was, in January this year, appointed a part-time teacher tasked with teaching all five levels at the school (Forms 1-5). He reportedly has not received any salary or financial compensation for his services within the first term.
“I was told by the principal that the system, or the process that was holding up the salaries, was because there was a switch or changeover in permanent secretaries within the ministry,” English explained.
He pointed out that even though he understands there is an ever prolonging procedure, he still has to be compensated for his teaching services.
“If I work or teach, I expect to be paid. I can’t turn up at the ministry or at the school and request payment, unless I would’ve carried out my duties,” English told this publication on Monday.
The teacher alleged that at the beginning of the second term, he approached the principal, and upon making checks, it was discovered that his documents had been misplaced. It finally was decided that a contract was going to be prepared by the school’s board to validate his employment, leading him to believe that his problem was being rectified.
For a second time, he was instructed to sign documents that were identical to those he had signed when he commenced teaching at the school, but he complied with the request. Having received no substantial feedback after some time had elapsed, he reportedly lodged numerous complaints regarding his non-payment with the school board and the Education Ministry. However, he still received little consolation.
Frustrated at the prolonged delay in getting a response, the teacher resorted to staging a one-man protest in front of the school, and allegedly was thereafter denied access to the school’s premises. He reportedly was even instructed to remove his belongings from the school.
“During my protest, I was informed by the deputy principal that she was instructed by the principal to have me remove all my belongings from the staff room, and I am no longer allowed access to the compound; so the security guards were also instructed to deny me access to the compound,” the teacher explained.
While stating that the school had made no provision for locker rooms, he declared that he refused to change in “toilets”, thus being the reason why he was attired in “track pants and t-shirt”. He likened the scenario to that of an agriculture teacher going to the farm, who would have to be “dressed for it”.
English is urging teachers who may be confronting similar situations to rise up and fight for what is fair and just, without fear of being victimized. He highlighted that the three months’ probationary period has been done away with, thus teachers are eligible to receive their salaries by the first month upon entering the teaching profession.
The exasperated instructor says he has had to struggle to support himself and maintain his family during this period of non-payment.
“It would be foolish of me to say that I have been living from paycheck to paycheck, because in six months I haven’t seen a single pay(check). So, basically, with the support of my family, I’ve been able to get by; and it is ridiculous to know that I have been working and I have to be depending on the support of my family to pay bills and offset other expenses,” he explained.
Meanwhile, this teacher is pleading with the Education Ministry to pay more heed to the welfare of teachers, who are vital dispensers of knowledge to the leaders of tomorrow. “Recently, they would have invested millions in the commission of inquiry (CoI) in the education system, and I would like to believe that one of the things that they found was teachers being paid on time or properly compensated for their work to be a part of that package,” he stated.
Principal of Bishops’ High, Winifred Ellis, has refuted the claims made by English, contending that he had stopped teaching since May 25, and was asked to remove his belongings as he no longer taught there.
Moreover, she affirmed that English has not served any formal notice of resignation to the school since his departure, while adding that the school’s board is not responsible for the payment of teachers; this responsibility being solely vested in the Education Ministry.