Crawford supports teachers' protest

 

Opposition Spokesman on Education Damion Crawford says he fully supports the decision by public sector teachers to protest over their compensation packages.

 

Teachers in some parishes stayed away from the classroom Thursday and Friday to protest what they describe as a failure by the Ministries of Finance and Education to address concerns relating to their salaries.

 

But while Mr. Crawford supports the strike, he says he is not optimistic that the action will yield the desired result.

 

Consequently, he says more teachers will be leaving the classrooms.

 

"Firstly, I expect the government to continue to lie, to give the public an untruthful analysis and situation of the teachers' plight, including claiming that their salaries were doubled when they disregard allowances and only use basic pay for that calculation. So I expect them to continue to make these statements that they haven't received communication or that they're surprised."

 

"I expect them to continue to divide and rule the teachers by claiming that they are political in the fight for their own benefit. And I expect the teachers to eventually succumb to pressure and go back to the classes with an expectation simply to leave the classroom in a next month and a half or so," he added. 

 

Mr. Crawford was a guest Friday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.