ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it has decided to extend the Easter vacation after indicating it had received correspondence from the union representing teachers of its intention to “engage in industrial action starting April 14, 2023”.
“In light of this and because children cannot be left unsupervised or under-supervised, particularly at this time of immense challenge with antisocial behavior among young people, the Ministry of Education has decided to extend the Easter Vacation by four days, resorting to the traditional two weeks,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It said this would allow additional time for the “Ministry to work closely with the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (A&BUT) and other agencies to reach a good position.
“The Ministry of Education, Sports, and Creative Industries remains committed to working with the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers to ensure that learning environments are healthy, safe, and conducive to learning and that all teachers receive their due worth,” the statement added.
The Ministry listed several grievances, including upgrading school teachers, school security, and fencing, as outlined by the A&BUT detailing what it said had been “the progress made to date” by the relevant authorities.
The Ministry said that Cabinet officials, a team from Lands and Surveys, and other stakeholders would meet with the union on Tuesday to discuss the security issue further.
It also said that 326 teachers had been upgraded and that “most of that number have received their upgrade instruments and corresponding remuneration.”
But it acknowledged that 53 upgrade instruments still need to be collected at the Ministry by teachers and that three persons were outside the upper time limit of the Cabinet decision and will be addressed in the new cohort for upgrades.
“The Ministry is trouble-shooting the data for approximately 15 teachers who have indicated issues with their upgrades. Although most of the upgraded teachers have received payments, a few are outstanding as the Treasury continues to make payments as resources allow,” the Ministry said, adding that it continues to work with the Establishment Department and the Treasury to ensure that all outstanding teachers are upgraded and paid.
|In keeping with a previous agreement, the Special Upgrades Committee, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Establishment Department, the Ministry of Education, and the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers will reconvene on April 17, 2023, to address retroactive payment,” the minister added
and then 