Dear Editor,
The strike called by the GTU is fast petering out into a tame draw, for the sole reason that two of their top executives were unprepared for what it turned out to be.
It was their mistaken belief that they could have bulldozed the Government into a corner, and, as such, Government would not have had any other choice but to rush to the union’s aid and promptly give in to their unreasonable demands.
That did not happen for the simple fact that their demands were not guided by good sense, nor were they based on fair expectations. It was purely an attempt to bully the Government into focusing in one direction only, to fulfil their demands at the expense of every other sector in the economy. That means all sectors, beginning with health, agriculture, industry, construction and infrastructure building, must grind to a screeching halt. This, in any developing economy, cannot — and I repeat: cannot – be allowed.
When the 2024 Budget was crafted, a progressive and forward-thinking Government planned for the advancement of every sector; that is, teachers and the educational sector as a whole. The Government can show the numerical advancement of the education sector, which none of the executives in the Teachers Union can deny. However, no one sector can be unjustly enriched at the expense of the whole of this country. This is what the economists refer to as the “overheating of the economy”; or, simply put, an economy expanding in an unsustainable manner.
So, I am forced to ask the question: Aren’t the other sectors important too? In which country do the farmers, pensioners and single mothers live? To which supermarkets do the other members of the public go to purchase their groceries?
To disassociate themselves from the rest of the economy is simply a fulfilment of the age-old proverb: “feast for today and famine tomorrow”.
It was a comedy of errors, in that they called out a strike prematurely and they’ve left the teachers embarrassed and without any redress. The union has caused irreparable harm to the smooth running of Government; and it and the teachers stand more to lose than gain by this strike action.
Now that the union has seen the folly of their ways, they’ve approached the court for assistance. This, in my view, is adding salt to the wound, because appealing to the court would have made the situation even worse.
The learned judge has granted a stay, which in effect prolongs the anguish of teachers. On the issue of the Government collecting dues on behalf of the union, that would see an appeal by the Government and a sure win in the higher court.
Governments are not obligated to collect dues for any union; collection of dues is the sole responsibility of a union and its members, that’s the way it is done in the civilized world.
On the second issue, of no work, no pay; it is a cardinal rule that controls all jurisdictions. The union called a strike that they indicated would last for 10 days, those 10 days have passed and there was a third. The GTU would be hard-pressed to convince a judge why this could have happened, despite the repeated call by the Government to return to the bargaining table. These and other questions would have to be addressed in a subsequent roundtable meeting.
In closing, no collective agreement can be forthcoming while the teachers are on the streets; that’s the law! The union will have to get the teachers back into the classrooms, then meet the employer around a bargaining table to discuss important matters, which would have to be done in a frank and thorough manner in a nonconfrontational atmosphere. This is what the Government has been calling for ever since, but their efforts have fallen on deaf ears. However, at this stage of the impasse, the union will have to listen.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
