After two years of negotiations, the Ministry of Education and the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) agreed on a new five year industrial agreement on Wednesday, 29th April at the Public Service headquarters on Meeting Street.

The new industrial agreement which covered improved working conditions and salary increases was marked as “fair” and “in the best interest” of all in the teaching profession. Remuneration included $1 million in back pay to 100 teachers by the end of June. This lump sum payment comes on the heels of $5.3 million paid to teachers during contract negotiations between April 2013 and June 2014.

Extolling the virtues of the teaching profession, calling the industrial agreement “a step in the right direction” and thanking the government for its leadership was acting BUT President Zane Lightbourne.

“Teaching is a profession of professions, thus making all other professions possible” said Mr. Lightbourne.“And we applaud the government and their quest for the vision that they share in the Bahamas Union of Teachers for the overall status improvement.”

Hailing the importance of teamwork and goal orientation in light of the union’s ongoing leadership conflicts, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald pointed out that the primary goal of the negotiating teams was getting the deal done to the satisfaction of stakeholders.

“Today signifies the accomplishment of a formidable task which is to ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied that the bargaining agreement reflects the needs of its members.

“The key concern for everybody was to get this agreement done and the executives in the Bahamas Union of Teachers I think (are) bigger than any one person. We have more than 4,000 teachers involved.”

The agreement is retroactive to 2013 and expires in 2018.