Teachers’ Union leaders make case for new Constitution

The leadership of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union has stopped one step short of advising members to vote YES in this month’s referendum.{{more}}

At a press conference on Monday, November 9, as part of activities to mark Teachers’ Solidarity Week, president of the union, Sheldon Govia, made a case for the support of the proposed constitution.

Govia noted that a Teachers’ Service Commission, which the union had been calling for since 1941, was finally a reality, having been entrenched in the proposed constitution on which Vincentians are scheduled to vote in 12 days.

He said that since the Teachers’ Service Commission proposal was placed and protected in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with government in 2004, the union had agreed to work within the context of the Constitutional Reform process.

“There are certain benefits to be derived from the Teachers’ Service Commission,” Govia said.

“We have had several governments in the past and no one has ever thought of going to Parliament to pass an act to give us a Teachers’ Service Commission; but now we have it enshrined in the constitution.

Govia questioned why, if persons opposing the proposed constitution are saying that a bill can simply be passed in Parliament to establish a Teachers’ Service Commission, it was never done over the years.

“We cannot tell the teachers to vote Yes. We cannot tell them to vote No. We know each person has an individual political opinion and they have to make a decision

as to what they want for themselves, for teachers and for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

When pressed by journalists on why the union was not taking a firm stand on which position they would prefer teachers to take, the president said that his executive was aware of the political divide present throughout the island, including the Teachers’ Union.

“We have to be very careful because our members are very divided politically. If we say Yes, those who say No will vex with the leadership; if we say No those who say Yes will vex with the leadership,” Govia said.

“We do not want to divide our members, but in the interest of the Teachers’ Service Commission, teachers have to make a decision.

“Many teachers in the past have given up politics for the union. Are teachers willing to do that now? If they are willing to do that now, then they will vote Yes for the constitution,” Govia said.