PM Browne Labels Teachers’ Union President a “Political Hack” Amid Strike Dispute
St John’s, Antigua – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly criticised the president of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT), calling him a “political hack” and accusing the union’s leadership of aligning with the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) to destabilise the government.
Speaking on Pointe FM on Saturday, Mr Browne said he believes the teachers’ strike over unpaid allowances has been exploited for political purposes, with members of the union’s executive allegedly using the situation to fuel broader opposition efforts.
“Where I draw the line is with that union executive led by the guy Casroy — whatever his name is — he’s a political hack,” Mr Browne said.
The prime minister’s comments come as the government announced that all outstanding cheques related to the dispute had been disbursed, and appealed for teachers to return to classrooms on Monday. Despite this, Mr Browne said the union had failed to officially call off the strike, a move he described as “disproportionate.”
He reiterated that the government had no quarrel with teachers themselves.
“I want to make a fundamental point here — the executive has no quarrels with the teachers or the teachers’ union for that matter,” he said. “Everything they have asked for, we have given to them.”
However, Mr Browne warned that allowing politically motivated individuals to dominate union decisions posed a threat to the education system and to national stability.
“If we allow those individuals to exercise an outsized influence on the teachers’ union, they’re going to become destructive,” he said. “They’ll undermine the progress of our youth.”
Mr Browne also claimed that internal union votes were being driven by a vocal minority, with just over 200 members voting to continue industrial action out of more than 1,500 teachers.
The government maintains that it has met its financial obligations to educators and says the priority now is ensuring students, particularly those preparing for exams, do not suffer further disruption.
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