Two grade three students await their parents in a deserted classroom at Half-Way Tree Primary School. An islandwide strike by teachers brought classes to a halt in schools yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer GOVERNMENT-PAID PRIMARY and secondary school teachers started their two-day strike yesterday, severely crippling the educational system and casting a shadow over related activities, islandwide.
Only a few schools had classes as, in most cases, neither teachers nor students turned up. The Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), which represents the over 20,000 teachers involved, had written letters to parents over the weekend advising them not to send their children to school.
Empty buses and taxis plied routes clear of student commuters in sections of Kingston, St. Andrew, Portmore and other rural communities, as the transport sector struggled to cope with the first day of the islandwide strike. Retail businesses in major commercial areas, which depend mainly on student as customers, were also empty.
And having indicated that it has already made its best offer, the Government yesterday appeared uncertain as to its next move in resolving the stand-off.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Fitz Jackson, who has been the main Government negotiator in the talks, said yesterday that the dispute would be referred to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security today.
Senator Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Information, told journalists at yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, that Cabinet was briefed by Education, Youth and Culture Minister, Maxine Henry-Wilson, on the issue, but did not elaborate.
"I can't describe either a negotiation process here, or what options are available, in the absence of the information as to what it is further that people are asking for," he said. He added that the negotiations between the Government and the JTA would resume after the strike action, which is expected to end today.
"This is the ultimate disrespect," remarked one of the over 100 teachers, who broke ranks with the JTA's directive of no public demonstration and took their vociferous protest to Water Square in Falmouth, Trelawny.
"We really don't agree with the soft stance of the JTA. We want the Government to see how serious we are. If needs be, we are not afraid to shut down the country," said one demonstrator.
At the May Pen Primary School, over 30 teachers staged a peaceful demonstration at the entrance to the institution, with placards posted on the gates.
At Kingston College, a memo on the school's notice board said that the JTA had advised that "teachers are being asked to stay away from school for two days next week, Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th of February and to report for work on Wednesday, 12th February, then to stay out for another two days Thursday, 13th and Friday 14th February, if no satisfactory wage offer from the Government is forthcoming by then.
JTA president, Sadie Comrie, however, denied that her association had instructed that teachers stay out on Thursday and Friday, as well.
Mrs. Comrie explained yesterday that the motor car revolving loan scheme, that Mrs. Henry-Wilson mentioned in her speech to the nation on Sunday night, would be increased by $10 million, would only benefit 23 teachers of the 20,000 members of the association.
The vocation duty allowance that is slated to be increased from $24,300 to $30,000 over the course of the 2002-2004 contract period, will affect fewer than 100 teachers in vocational agriculture areas only. These are teachers who work out of school and mostly on farms.
Furthermore, the protective clothing allowance that the Minister said would be increased from $4,668 to $5,800 over the two-year period would also only affect a small number of people in practical areas, Mrs. Comrie explained yesterday.
If the dispute with Government is not resolved by the scheduled end of the strike on Wednesday, Mrs. Comrie said there will be a meeting of the association's Action Committee, at which time a decision will be made.
Yesterday's demonstration in Falmouth attracted teachers from all across the parish who converged on the town square from as early as 7:30 a.m.. They carried placards bearing slogans such as 'If we do nothing like Government will we get 103?', 'Two days strike a foolishness - we will strike until we get more pay' and 'If you can read this, you got help from a teacher'.
However, in St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, the teachers were more subdued and confined their protest action to the various school compounds, staying away from classes. According to Leeroy Williams, the acting principal of St. James High School in Montego Bay, a few students from the morning shift turned out for classes but returned home, when it became obvious to them that the vast majority of their schoolmates had stayed home.
One school, which had a full complement of teachers, but too few students to go ahead with classes was the Half-Way Tree Primary School in St. Andrew. Students who turned up said they had no idea that there would have been no school yesterday.
"The teachers are all here," said Catherine Malcolm, principal. "They are in their classes and they are here for work, but they don't have anybody to work with, but as long as the teachers are here and the children are here we will have school."
At the Holy Childhood High School, also in the Half-Way Tree area, principal, Sister James Marie, said, "The girls are here and we are taking care of them. We are holding them until their parents come to get them."
One parent who came to the school to pick up her daughter was in full support of the strike action by the teachers. "I think it (the strike) is a good thing. The teachers deserve a better salary," said Jacqueline Bonner. "It is too small, raise the teacher them pay," added Bonner.
One representative from the St. Andrew High School said that as far as she knew, no student turned up for classes at that institution either. When The Gleaner visited the school compound, there was absolute silence.
Schools in central and eastern Kingston were virtually ghost towns yesterday. At most schools, there were very few teachers present and students had either been sent home or were just milling around with nothing to do. Principals had a generally shared view of their role during the boycott, most saying that, as administrators, they are duty-bound to come in, whether or not teachers and students are available, to effect the normal running of their schools.
One principal, who said she had no official comment on the strike, noted that she had to come in because her school is also a training ground for student-teachers who were preparing for their evaluations. She pointed out that as the "keeper of the key to the gate", she had to ensure that anyone who needed to be on the compound could get in.
While lamenting the harm that a protracted strike action could do to her students, she admitted that she understood the frustration of the teachers. She put forward what she saw as the common scenario of teachers as the primary breadwinners in their families and asked how they could be expected to survive on current salaries with rent to pay and brothers and sisters to put through school.
At Franklin Town Primary School, 59 of 600 students were present and approximately half of the teaching staff was available to help in their supervision.
"Children are here so we have a job to do," declared principal, Yvonne White, who also said that parents were calling in to find out what to do with their youngsters.
At St. George's College, a number of boys sitting by a wall near the entrance told The Gleaner that a vice-principal advised them to come in to school, despite the expected strike action. However, vice-principal in charge of student affairs, Alvin Lawson, said that he had actually informed them that they should listen to the news and read the paper before deciding on a course of action.
Lloyd Fearon, principal at the school, in telling The Gleaner that the small number of students who were present would not be turned back, said, "Some are now in the computer lab working." Mr. Fearon further stated that he and the other teachers present were in the process of organising classes for all other children who were still on the compound.
One school that was not hurt by strike action, though not conducting usual activities, was Vauxhall Junior Secondary. The Windward Road-based school was, prior to the calling of the strike, already scheduled to give its students the day off as a mid-semester seminar for teachers was planned for yesterday. Principal Angela Chaplain said that staff members were at school as expected and expressed her belief that at least some teachers would be present for the start of the second half of the semester today.
All Government schools in Clarendon were closed and teachers from at least two schools staged demonstrations to press their demand for a substantial increase in their wage package.
Checks made by The Gleaner found that some students turned up for classes but were told to return home until further notice.
When a news team visited the Green Park Primary and Junior High School in Sandy Bay, during regular school time, only three students turned up for their GSAT classes. On the streets of May Pen, students from various other schools were observed milling around.
At the Glenmuir High School, most of the teachers armed with placards from the school braved the midmorning sun to denounce the Government's wage increase offer. The teachers described the offer as ridiculous when compared with the high cost of living and the wage increase to parliamentarians.
The strike effectively suspended classes at all the schools located in the northern section of Manchester, but a skeleton staff was present at some schools.
Principal of Christiana High School, the Rev. Fitzgerald Williams, and two members of staff were engaged in addressing enquiries. Rev. Williams said his opinion was that as stated by the JTA. On the effect of the strike, he referred to The Gleaner's cartoon of the day as being appropriate.
The presence of a small number of teachers at most schools was to catch up on undone paper work. Some of the schools checked were Mizpah All-Age, Chantilly Primary, Mount Olivette Primary, Top Hill Primary, Bellefield High School, Christiana Lease All-Age. The consensus was that there was total support for the JTA strike in north Manchester, although one teacher said she considered any visit to the school as a defiance of the JTA's direction. The Kendal and Christiana police visited all the schools and reported that all were without students.
