The W.I.T.U. and other stakeholders have been invited to a meeting on Monday, April 16, 2012 at 4:30pm in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall to discuss the matter of absenteeism and the sick leave policy of workers with the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell.
As W.I.T.U. has yet to be given clarity to questions posed in previous correspondence, we have informed Minister Arrindell, that during this meeting we would like to discuss other pertinent issues affecting our teachers as well.
1. Occupational Health and Safety issues in our schools;
2. Security personnel in both primary and secondary schools;
3. The risks of dealing with the aggressive behavior of parents and students;
4. The “absenteeism” of basic material and support services;
5. The increase of stress indicators in related matters in and out of school;
6. And finally, the lack of clear directives when it comes to the request of leave of absence (with or without pay). Teachers are human beings, who besides their jobs also have responsibilities towards their families.
It is unfortunate that to this date we had not yet received any feedback concerning these issues from the Ministry of Education. We strongly feel that unwillingness to correct such pressing matters could be considered as a violation of the workers’ basic and fundamental rights and their human rights.
The board of the WITU looks forward to a fruitful discussion with Minister Arrindell and hope to come up with agreements that will result in a healthier and more productive environment for both teachers and students to be in.
Mrs. Claire Elshot-Aventurin President of WITU