Earlier this year, there was word that Minister Faber, on approval of the Prime Minister and the National Assembly, would pay out ,000,000 in an honorarium to those teachers that worked during the days of strike. The strike was held for 11 consecutive days in October 2016.
On Monday, April 24, Minister Faber expressed his dissatisfaction with the feedback he and his ministry have since received. According to Faber, the figures are a little more than half of a million: $600,000 to be more precise. Faber holds his belief that the teachers that worked 4 extra days in January deserve some form of compensation. They were also expected to work 3 days during their Easter break and will be expected to work 3 days during the summer. That is a total of 10 additional days, 10 days outside of the planned school year. Those teachers that did not turn up at work in January to make up for the strike days were sabotaged, says Faber, by the BNTU.
“Is it unfair to do that to them?” Faber explained that if the teachers were to be paid for those 10 days, the total payout would exceed $1,000,000. Faber is of the firm opinion that the some 377 teachers deserve compensation for their time.
Faber, against allegations by Senator Courtney that the process is illegal, insists that the funds are legal and approved. Each year, the Ministry of Education is allocated a sum of money with which teachers are paid. That figure fluctuates from year to year. According to Faber, it is through that item that the honorarium is being paid.
So far, some teachers have been paid while the others that are eligible will receive their compensation at the end of the month. The compensation ranges from 300 to 500 dollars per teacher.
