Are you a stakeholder in the current standoff between our teachers and our Ministry of Education? Perhaps I should state the obvious: we are all stakeholders in the current standoff. We all fall into one or more categories: teacher, teachers’ union, school, parent, employer, ministry of education, government of Antigua and Barbuda, and regular citizen. Yes, all of us are stakeholders.There is so much at stake! Teacher satisfaction, student learning, children’s safety, competent graduates, ready-to-work new entrants to the labour market, parents worried about their children during the day, a worsening bureaucracy, increased mistrust in the political administration and in the overall system of governance, and the possibility of further micro-management by the political directorate.Speaking to members of the teaching fraternity, the heart of the current strike lies in the incomplete disbursement of retroactive payment due to TVET teachers for annual lab coat allowances and ex gratia payments for some Heads of Department, dating back to 2018, based on the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2024.
Specific to the issue at hand the communique from the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers dated March 7 2025 indicated “ _If_ _all_ _outstanding_ _allowances,__namely,__Allowances_ _for_ _Technical Vocational_ _Teachers_ _for_ _the_ _period_ _2018_ _–_ _2024, Travel_ _and_ _Telephone_ _Allowances for Principals and Deputy_ _Principals_ _for_ _the_ _period_ _2018_ _–_ _2023, and_ _the_ _outstanding_ _Ex-gratia_ _payment_ _for_ _Head_ _of_ _Department_ _for_ _the_ _period_ _2018_ _–_ _2021,__are_ _not_ _settled_ _in_ _their_ _entirety_ _by_ _the end_ _of_ _the_ _last_ _work_ _day_ _of_ _April_ _2025, it will engage_ _in_ _industrial_ _action_ _until_ _said_ _settlements_ _are_ _attained_.”
Based on every indication, the government did not meet the deadline for complete payment as per the union’s correspondence. The process had begun. Examination of the process indicates that the payments were being processed in annual batches based on the documentation moving from the MOE to the Treasury. Payments were being made in an ongoing process. [READ MORE: https://petrathespectator.com/teacher-teacher-the-power-is-yours/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKMlZNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHi8PutTH6YRMLWBcSMiF6-mRdR9OIKxLDWtWwqyc3wFkNN9iqHkl5doIyuSI_aem_f4XLJD5c17wnPblDHcfUuQ](https://petrathespectator.com/teacher-teacher-the-power-is-yours/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKMlZNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHi8PutTH6YRMLWBcSMiF6-mRdR9OIKxLDWtWwqyc3wFkNN9iqHkl5doIyuSI_aem_f4XLJD5c17wnPblDHcfUuQ)
