Refuse to work -TTUTA tells teachers

THE TT Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) is advising all teachers of the La Romaine Secondary School to continue to refuse to work until the electrical problems at the school is fixed.

TTUTA 's president Lynsley Doodhai also called on the Ministry of Education to expeditiously deal with the electrical problems at the school, saying it is imperative this is done as end of term test, graduation and intake of new students for the new September term can be negatively impacted.

Doodhai said the school has been plagued by at least three electrical fires in the last few years, the most recent being on May 17, in the Integrated Science laboratory. The Mon Repos Fire department which responded to that fire observed the faulty wiring in the building and the need for an electrical inspection. A subsequent inspection by the electoral inspectorate revealed numerous electrical issues throughout the school and gave an August 21 deadline to rectify all problems.

This findings led TTUTA to invoke Section 15 of the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Act which saw their members walking off the job. The OSH authority was also notified fo the teachers' refusal to work as there is no functioning safety at the school, as is required under the OSH act. Although no learning or teaching is taking place, some teachers are reporting for duty, while some working parents continue to send their children to school.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia said the situation is unfortunate but his ministry is working to ensure that the problems are corrected and school is returned to normalcy very soon.