~ Says attempts made to silence union ~
PHILIPSBURG–Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) President Claire Elshot walked out of a meeting that Education Minister Wycliffe Smith called with teachers of St. Maarten Vocational Training School (SMVTS) recently, on the grounds that attempts were being made to silence the union.
Elshot said the Smith’s cabinet Chief of Staff Peter Gittens had told her she would not be allowed to speak at the meeting, although she had informed parties that she was the workers’ spokesperson.
“I would not sit in a meeting where I will be silenced,” Elshot said on Thursday, noting that the entire issue is a violation of workers’ rights.
Smith had told reporters during the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday that he had had a fruitful meeting with SMVTS staff during which teachers had tabled their concerns and suggestions had been made for a way forward. Smith said at the time that he looked forward to working with the board, management and staff to improve the teaching and learning environment at the institution.
Elshot said that when she arrived at the meeting Smith had asked her in what capacity she was there. “I told him that I was there as president of the teachers’ union,” she said, adding that this had led to a back-and-forth discussion. Smith had said he wanted to meet with the teachers alone, but Elshot had said she was the workers’ representative.
She said also that as WITU President, she was the one who had brought up the SMVTS teachers’ issues to Smith on two occasions and she was the one who had requested in writing that the minister meet with the teachers.
Elshot said she also had been told by Gittens that she could only be present in the meeting in a limited capacity and that she would not be allowed to speak, to which she took offence. “I think that this was completely out of order,” she said.
Elshot said she had asked to caucus with the teachers outside the meeting room. After caucusing with teachers, Elshot informed Smith that the teachers were requesting that she be their spokesperson, at which point she said Smith had told teachers that if this was the case, he could have just met with the union and would have no reason to call the teachers in for a meeting.
Smith and Gittens also had some words with the teachers to encourage them to speak on their own accord and not through their union. Elshot said the matter was becoming a back-and-forth issue and she subsequently walked out of the meeting.
“That was a great infringement on the rights of the teachers,” Elshot contended, “because teachers have the right, when meeting with their employer, to take legal representation – it can be a lawyer or their union or anyone who can assist them.”
She said the union had prepared some points to raise at the meeting on behalf of its members at the school, based on three primary areas of concern. “What happened represents two grave infringements of the ILO [International Labour Organisation – Ed.] conventions – the right to association and the right to collective bargaining,” she said.
Elshot said also that while teachers were expecting to meet with Smith, “a whole entourage” of persons were at the meeting, which was held at the Government Administration Building.
At the meeting were the head of the Department of Education, persons from Human Resources and the Inspectorate of Education, members of the minister’s cabinet and the head of SMVTS. Elshot said teachers had been expecting Smith to give them a hearing similar to how he met with teachers of the Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) section of St. Maarten Academy and then met separately with the PSVE board and management.
She also questioned why the SMVTS head was at the meeting when the primary concerns of the teachers had to do with policy issues.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83134-elshot-walks-out-of-meeting-min-smith-calls-with-smvts
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