We stand with Ronnie, but dialogue a must - PNP
Published:Tuesday | June 25, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Jermaine Francis, Staff Reporter
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites is insisting he did discuss the vexed issue of teachers' leave entitlements with the Cabinet before he made his pronouncements in Parliament.
Thwaites' insistence comes after members of the People's National Party's (PNP) National Executive Council (NEC), including party president Portia Simpson Miller, came out in defence of the teachers during a meeting in Spalding on Sunday.
PNP executive members said Thwaites should have done more consultations before he announced the proposed changes to teachers' leave benefits during his contribution to the 2013 Sectoral Debate.
Thwaites announced that the Government could not continue to fork out more than $2.5 billion per year to sustain teachers' leave entitlements.
The teachers, angered by the minister's comments, have stood firmly against his position.
When asked to clarify if he had discussed the matter with his colleagues, Thwaites said he did, in fact, confer with the Cabinet before he made his Sectoral Debate contribution.
Yesterday, the minister refused to comment any further on the matter.
Meanwhile, PNP Deputy General Secretary Julian Robinson said the party's view on the matter was no different from that of Thwaites'.
Robinson said the NEC was simply calling for greater dialogue between the parties involved.
"The NEC recognises there's a need for continued dialogue with the teachers. There's no conflict between the NEC and Minister Thwaites position," Robinson argued.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller expressed solidarity with the nation's teachers saying her administration would continue working with them.