TTUTA warns ministry: Don’t threaten teachers

PRESIDENT of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTSA) Antonia Tekah-De Freitas has warned the Ministry of Education to stop intimidating its members.

Tekah-De Freitas said threats of disciplinary action when teachers refused to work in unhealthy and unsafe conditions would be strongly contested.

The new president issued the challenge after a meeting at the Union/Claxton Bay Secondary School ,where teachers have been falling ill since mid-October.

She said teachers are being threatened with disciplinary action although they have medical certificates, and suggested instead of this "heavyhanded" tactic the ministry should call in CARIRI to test the air quality and for the school to be properly sanitised.

Tekah-De Freitas and a team of union officials, including second vice president Kyrla Robertson-Thomas and general secretary Kady Beckles, met with the principal, representatives of the NPTA and school supervisor at the school on Monday morning.

Speaking to the media outside the school, she said there had been health and safety issues since mid-October.

"After some recent flooding and heavy rains, some mould developed in the ceiling tiles in the administrative block.

“It seems to have spread, so that people have been falling ill with a range of symptoms – contact dermatitis, with rashes, difficulty breathing, stomach cramps, vomiting and nausea.

“What has happened as of last week is that a school supervisor has been pressuring teachers to apply for the days when they have refused to work.

"Now, under the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA), there is not supposed to be any penalty for when a teacher refuses to work, especially when there is danger to health and life. The teachers are in such a state that they came in this morning (Monday) and some of them have had to leave because of the same symptoms that have returned.”

She said while some work was done to remove the ceiling tiles, the ones removed were left in the corridors, so the contaminant spread to other areas.

“We would want to call on the MOE to have air-quality tests done throughout the school, because there is an airborne contaminant.”

She said TTUTA has asked Clarence Mendoza, executive member of the NPTA, to contact its members to find out how children have been affected.

As for TTuta, she said, “At present we have 24 members, 19 of whom are teachers, who have had to seek immediate medical attention because of the situation.

"TTUTA is also saying we are going to stand by members, (and) that members must not be penalised for refusing to work. They followed the procedure that has been outlined, and therefore (if there is) any threat of disciplinary action, the union will contest that.”

Tekah-De Freitas said althoughteachers have been affected, some have been going beyond the call of duty to ensure that all registrations for CSEC are in place and that school-based assignments are completed on time.

“Teachers are doing what they are supposed to do, in spite of the untoward circumstances. So we will not tolerate our members being intimidated.”