Bridgetown.
The Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU) is threatening to the chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to court with it to discuss the transfer a dozen teachers from the Alexandra School.
Re-elected president of the BSTU Mary Redman says if the PSC continues to ignore the union the next course of action will be the law courts.
"We are hoping that it does not come to that biut if they do not meet with us and provide satisfactory answers, then we would have exhausted all possible avenues at this level in getting the matter addressed", Redman told the union's annual meeting at Queen's College yesterday evening.
Redman told the meeting she was hoping the PSC would accept that its moral and legal responsibility to meet with the union.
"The Public Service Commission is entitle to meet with union, they being responsible for the action that caused the transfer, they being the one having the power to carry out the tranfers", Redman said.
"They must meet with us to understand how those transfers have impacted on the teachers. They must understand that the process by which the transfers were done left much to be desired in relation to best practice and they must understand that by carrying out those transfers they breached the memorandum of understanding that has been in place for over 30 years", she added.
Redman reiterated her view that some teachers from Alexandra School should not have been transferred, and reaffirmed to her members that the transfers would be addressed and encouraged them to continue their support.
"The BUTS must be ready to fight this wa. A war that they have declared. We must fight the war against those Government officials and public officers at our level who seek to deny members their basic human and trade union right – the right to be heard and represented by their legitimate and lawful agent.
“We have to rail against those who would seek to victimise and punish us for demanding those rights. We have to be unafraid to identify with, support and rally around each other and our union for what is due constitutionally and legally through our collective agreements, costumes and practises. There can be no surrendering our position when it is clear what the motives are of those who would seek to break us a fiery Redman said.
“If the intention is to be break us, then we have to stay and show that they are wrong, that they will not succeed. As teachers, we have to demonstrate that we are professionals and as productive persons in this country, who perform one of the most important functions on a daily basis in this society, that we have to be respected", she added.
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