BvL determined to reach the finish
Wilgo Valies, chairman of the Teachers’ Association (BvL) and the Alliance of Teachers in Suriname (ALS), is looking forward to the verdict. Valies pointed out that the government has opted to take legal action instead of sitting at the table to find a solid solution. “The government has shown its true nature with this step,” said Valies who added that “the union is determined to reach the finish.” In 2004, 2008 and 2014 the government left the path of dialogue and opted for legal action to get the teachers back to work. In all those cases the judge had ruled in favor of the government, instructing the BvL to end the teacher strike.
Valies explained that “this step will not lead to a permanent solution.” “Putting teachers under pressure by ordering them to get back to work will only result in having dispirited teachers in front of classes and that will not be in the interest of the education sector and the teachers. The union will pull out all the stops and explain to the judge that the government does not keep its promises and that it violates conventions. We will reach the finish. I wonder how the judge will deal with the agreements. The government is ignoring conventions that have been ratified by Suriname. The union is adequately preparing itself for the lawsuit and is looking forward to seeing how the judge deals with the fact that the government does not stick to the agreement with teachers’ unions.”
In 2004, 2008 and 2014 the government filed a lawsuit against the BvL after it had issued a strike. In 2008 the students also rallied in the streets to demand an end to the strike. The BvL at that time challenged the judge because it doubted the judge’s impartiality. In the end the judge ruled in favor of the government. On Wednesday teachers marched from Theatre Unique to Parliament. When they had reached Parliament they pointed out that they lacked educational tools and other provisions and that state advisor Eddy Jozefzoon had purchased books which are unusable. They alleged that millions of Surinamese dollars had been wasted. The education process has been disrupted since January 10.