ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, May 12, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government Monday said classes at all public schools on the island will resume on Tuesday after the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT) said all its demands had been met.
“The general public is hereby notified that all public schools will resume classes on regular schedule from Tuesday, 13th May, 2025.
“This notice is in response to the information from the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers, which was communicated to its membership instructing them “to resume your requisite duties effective immediately,” the Ministry of Education said in a brief statement.
Earlier, the ABUT in a letter to all of its members, said it wanted to inform them “that our demands in respect to Travel, Telephone and Technical Vocational Allowances, as well as, Head of Department ex-gratia payments for the period 2018-2024 have been met by he Ministry of Education, as of Monday, May 12, 2025”.
ABUT said as a result, it was instructing the “membership, as well as all public school teachers, to resume your requisite duties effective immediately”.
ABUT president Casroy Charles said the union it wanted to thank members for their support “during this challenging period,” adding “we look forward to your support in our upcoming activities”.
“We’re back to work. Thank you teachers for your continued support of your Union throughout this process. You showed that the ABUT is resilient and able to weather the storms thrown at us,” the union said in a post on its Facebook page.
The government had been forced to cancel classes across the country on Monday “until all outstanding matters with the ABUT are settled and notice of resumption of classes is issued”.
The ministry said that security was at the forefront of the decision to have students remain at home, adding the “closure of schools does not extend to public school teachers, who must continue reporting for duty.
“Additionally, there will be no disruptions to CSEC examinations that are being administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne had described the industrial action as “disproportionate” and has labelled the response from the ABUT as excessive, since the government reportedly processed outstanding payments.
“Now, I said when I got back on Thursday evening, I said that this type of behavior is disproportionate,” Browne said on his radio programme over the weekend.
“It’s like a hungry man going to a supermarket, right? And steal a bread. Goes before a judge. Yes, stealing the bread is wrong. And a judge gonna give the man five years. Is that a proportional sentence? It’s disproportionate. It is excessive,” he told radio listeners.
Education Minister, Daryll Matthew, said that the government had gone the extra mile to accommodate the teachers in their demands for timely payments of outstanding allowances and other benefits.
CMC/ah/ir/2025