BvL and ALS demand respect from the government

Teachers who are members of the Teachers’ Association (BvL) and the Alliance for Teachers in Suriname (ALS) will reportedly remain on strike until the government has responded to a letter that the unions sent to the government on Monday. Wilgo Valies, chairman of the BvL and the ALS, pointed out that the government has repudiated the BvL and the ALS when it did not reply to the letter but instead choose to negotiate with the Federation of Organizations of Teachers in Suriname (FOLS). The government and the FOLS reportedly negotiated the financial part of the revaluation program and agreed that the full revaluation would take place at the end of May. “It is not the first time that the government has given the credit to the FOLS while the BvL and the ALS made all the efforts,” said Valies who urged the government “to continue this behavior because it will make our organization much bigger.” Union members are outraged by the government’s attitude towards their unions. Reports indicate that several proposals were presented at Tuesday’s union meeting. Several teachers proposed going back to school and working until 10 a.m. and to keep this up until the government has paid the revaluation in full. Another proposal was to go back to school and to give the government the opportunity to have everything in place at the end of May. The teachers who went on strike on May 2 eventually decided that they would remain on strike until the government shows some respect by responding to the letter.

Valies explained to the press that the government’s decision to negotiate with the FOLS is a strategy aimed at supporting the FOLS so that the teachers who switched unions will eventually go back to the FOLS. “The teachers have already made their choice. The FOLS is a closed chapter to them,” said Valies.