BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — The Belize Government says plans by the country’s teachers to stage a strike here over salary increases is politically motivated.

Officials of the Belize National Teachers Union (BTNU) met yesterday to discuss ways to get the Government to pay out the third tranche of the three per cent adjustment to the salaries of teachers.

“We are really hoping that there is some change in the way that the union is choosing to deal with this. At the bottom of all of this, or I should say that at the top of all of this is, of course, our children,” said Education Minister Patrick Faber.

He said the issues raised by the BTNU in a letter to Prime Minister Dean Barrow have already been raised in a legitimate forum like the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, “which we all agreed a few weeks ago would come to a close”.

“We believe that they are other ways to deal with these kinds of things and that it should not come at the detriment of the education of our children. You will know that last week Thursday’s meeting of the BNTU with its branches across the country was not supported by the ministry, even though we did not take any measures to penalise anybody.” Faber said.

Faber disagreed with a suggestion by the BTNU that last week’s meeting was an emergency.

“What was the emergency that the first week of school had to be interrupted for urgent decision or for urgent meetings? And the only thing I could come up with is what they have said; they themselves have said again that it’s not about the three per cent, it is about these other pressing issues having to deal with the governance of this country,” he argued.

Faber reiterated earlier statements that the BTNU President Leon Palacio “is politically motivated”.

“I make no apologies for that. This man has been an operative of the People’s United Party; he has offered himself for candidacy of the People’s United Party, so it is what it is and that is why my appeal is not to him. My appeal is to the right-thinking teachers out there who know that in fact there is no labour dispute afoot here and can also look at the facts. As you can see, the prime minister outlined in his letter responding to the eight points that the BNTU put forward, that these things are being addressed,” he said.

“It’s not to say that we must all be happy, it’s not to say that everything is right in the Government. There are elements that we are not proud of and that, in fact, need be addressed,” said Faber.