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Amid official reassurances that no scarlet fever outbreak is underway at a rural Barbados primary school, the island’s leading teachers’ union is pushing back against attempts to brush off persistent health concerns from parents, students and on-site staff.

Julian Pierre, vice-president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and chair of the union’s occupational safety and health committee, emphasized that firsthand accounts of unexplained illness among the school community cannot be discarded just because initial public health assessments have not found evidence of a large-scale outbreak. Speaking in an interview with local outlet Barbados TODAY, Pierre argued that the experiences of people directly impacted by the ongoing health events demand consistent, careful attention and continuous investigation, to rule out any overlooked environmental or public health hazards that could be contributing to illness.

Officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness have already released an official update via the Chief Medical Officer, which concluded there is no unusual scarlet fever outbreak at the St. Andrew-based Hillaby Turner’s Hall Primary School, and no recommendation has been made to close the campus. While BUT acknowledges the validity of the ministry’s current findings, the union remains deeply troubled about the well-being of every person on campus, from enrolled students to teaching faculty and support staff.

Pierre pointed out that already confirmed cases of two serious health conditions – dengue exposure and Group A Streptococcus infection – paired with widespread unconfirmed reports of unexplained rashes and fever among dozens of children, make a strong case for maintaining active public health vigilance at the school. He noted that classroom teachers have borne the brunt of the uncertainty, forced to ease widespread anxiety among both students and their families while waiting for clear, definitive guidance from public health and education officials.

Beyond addressing the immediate cluster of reported illnesses, Pierre stressed that BUT’s core priority is ensuring all recommended public health protocols are fully implemented, consistently monitored, and sufficiently supported at the campus. The union has identified four key areas that require ongoing oversight: routine deep sanitization of school facilities, comprehensive environmental health assessments, targeted mosquito control measures to prevent further dengue transmission, and transparent, timely communication with all staff and parents about any developments.

“We continue to seek assurances that all recommended public health measures are being consistently implemented, monitored and adequately resourced,” Pierre stated. He added that the union is formally calling for both the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Education Transformation to maintain ongoing active surveillance of illness at the school, share regular updates with all stakeholders, and keep contingency plans in place to implement additional public health action if the situation worsens.

In closing, Pierre reaffirmed BUT’s longstanding mandate to protect the health and safety of all education workers and students across Barbados. The union will continue holding formal discussions with government authorities and advocating for targeted interventions that guarantee all students and staff can access a safe, healthy learning environment at Hillaby Turner’s Hall Primary School, he said. “The Barbados Union of Teachers remains committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of all education workers and students,” Pierre added. “We will continue to engage with the relevant authorities and advocate for measures that ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for all children and staff.”

As Barbados confronts a steep upward surge in violent crime, the island nation’s largest trade union body is sounding the alarm over a years-long backlog of unmet demands that are eroding the well-being and effectiveness of the country’s frontline public workers. In a press briefing held Thursday at the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) headquarters in St. Michael, General Secretary Dennis De Peiza outlined a litany of unresolved issues facing protective services officers and other public sector employees, warning that government inaction on longstanding pay and benefits grievances is triggering cascading harm across the country’s public services.

De Peiza emphasized that repeated delays in addressing substandard working conditions have already created a measurable decline in staff morale and output, consequences that extend far beyond individual workplaces. He argued that this stagnation is not only undermining ongoing public sector reform initiatives but also making government roles far less appealing to young people entering the Barbadian workforce. Compounding this challenge, he warned, unresolved worker grievances risk deepening already acute recruitment shortages across the protective services and other government agencies, a gap that could grow into a full-fledged brain drain of talented young workers.

“Many top graduates from the University of the West Indies and other regional tertiary institutions are already opting for overseas employment, where they are offered far more competitive working conditions and benefits,” De Peiza noted. “If public service conditions remain unaddressed, this outflow of skilled young workers will only accelerate, leaving critical government posts unfilled for months or even years.”

The CTUSAB leader highlighted specific complaints from protective services members, starting with delayed salary increments and unpaid compensation for acting appointments. The Barbados Police Association has raised repeated objections over withheld increments for new recruits who completed Course 144 at the regional police training academy, while prison officers across the island report they have not received pay adjustments they are owed for taking on temporary senior roles. De Peiza stressed that these failures are unacceptable for workers who are tasked with keeping the public safe amid a worsening crime wave.

“These are the men and women we put on the front line every single day, tasked with protecting our communities and upholding national security,” he said. “They should never have to wait for pay and benefits they have rightfully earned. The general public knows this is wrong, and it is past time the government acted.”

Another critical unaddressed issue De Peiza spotlighted is the lack of basic personal accident insurance for frontline personnel, including police officers, prison staff, and nurses, all of whom face elevated safety risks as violent incidents rise across the country. He called this coverage a non-negotiable necessity, not an unnecessary perk, noting it provides critical peace of mind for workers who put their lives at risk to serve the public, supporting both their morale and their commitment to their roles.

De Peiza also called out the government for failing to honor legally mandated allowances for public workers, pointing to the Police Allowance Regulations, which require driver allowances for officers who operate official vehicles, motorcycles, and oversee horses — a benefit that has not been distributed to eligible officers. For prison officers, who face extreme physical and psychological risk managing inmate populations and responding to violent incidents, similar unpaid allowances remain outstanding. De Peiza urged the government to fully enforce existing regulations, put clear monitoring systems in place, and follow through on commitments it has already made to public workers.

“If these provisions are already written into our regulations, there is no excuse for failing to honor them,” he said. “We need to approach public sector worker issues with far more seriousness, put the right systems in place, and make sure what needs to be done gets done.”

Beyond protective services, De Peiza also called for urgent changes to expand training opportunities for nurses across Barbados, noting that restrictions on professional development are holding back efforts to improve the country’s healthcare system. He renewed the union’s call for expanded nurse education programs, particularly at the Barbados Community College, which is the primary training hub for the country’s nursing workforce. On a more positive note, De Peiza confirmed that longstanding concerns over inadequate medical services for members of the Barbados Fire Service are currently being resolved, and the union expects the issue to be fully addressed in the near future.

Meanwhile, CTUSAB President Ryan Phillips offered measured support for two new government public safety initiatives announced amid the rising crime wave. Phillips said the government’s proposal to establish a dedicated gun court is a potentially effective step to crack down on firearm-related crime, which has been a key driver of the recent increase in violence. “We see this as a viable option to push back against the trafficking, possession, assembly, importation, and use of illegal firearms,” Phillips said. “Any step that helps eliminate this threat to public safety deserves serious consideration.”

Phillips also welcomed government plans to train Justices of the Peace in advanced arbitration, mediation, and conciliation techniques, which are designed to reduce community tensions and ease backlogs in the court system. But he called for the training program to be expanded beyond judicial officials to include trade union leaders and human resources professionals, who already have extensive experience in conflict resolution, grievance handling, and disciplinary proceedings. “With advanced training in alternative dispute resolution, these professionals would be well positioned to help defuse community tensions and deliver accessible conflict resolution services across the island,” Phillips added.

In the wake of catastrophic damage inflicted by 2024’s Hurricane Beryl, Barbados has carried out a landmark nationwide emergency drill designed to move the island’s entire fishing fleet out of danger, bringing the critical urgency of hurricane preparedness in the vital fishing sector into sharp focus. The proactive full-scale simulation comes as the local fisheries industry continues its gradual recovery from the storm, which crippled key maritime infrastructure and destroyed a large share of Barbados’ working fishing vessels.

Dr. Shelly Cox, the island’s Chief Fisheries Officer, highlighted that the sector has adopted an aggressive, collaborative approach to disaster readiness after Beryl’s devastating impact. She emphasized that effective emergency response depends on coordinated, synchronized action across all stakeholders, rather than isolated effort from government agencies alone.

“The fishery sector has been quite proactive,” Dr. Cox noted. “We wanted to put our vessel relocation protocols and full operational emergency plans to the test, to identify gaps before a real storm hits.”

Early last month, the Barbados Fisheries Division led a cross-sector initiative that brought together fishing cooperatives, government agencies, and private partners to test every step of the emergency response process. The Blackfin Fleet fishing cooperative and other organized fisherfolk groups provided on-the-ground input and critical logistical support for the simulation, which centered on measuring the time and resources required to safely relocate large, heavy fishing vessels away from vulnerable open coastlines.

A long-term solution to the fleet’s safety needs involves constructing purpose-built haul-up infrastructure within the Bridgetown port complex, but the division has been forced to adapt to existing resources while that project moves forward. Currently, authorities rely on available state assets, including the marine travel lifts at the Barbados Coast Guard facility and the shallow draft zone near the capital, to accommodate vessels during storm events.

“We are still progressing with the construction of the dedicated haul-up facility in Bridgetown, but this exercise allowed us to test timelines for relocating vessels using the existing infrastructure we have access to right now,” Dr. Cox explained.

Emergency preparations extend well beyond the capital, too. Rural coastal landing sites at Conset Bay and Thunder Bay on Barbados’ west coast are particularly vulnerable, so the division has coordinated with multiple government departments to secure access to resources like tractors from the soil conservation department, and partnered with private marine operators to supplement public capacity for emergency vessel movement.

Lessons learned from Hurricane Beryl drove major updates to the island’s fisheries disaster management plan: during the 2024 storm, dozens of vessels were destroyed or irreparably damaged because of overcrowding at safe havens and improper mooring that left boats tied too closely together. Today, one of the core pillars of the revised plan is expanded public education and clearer, more consistent communication with small boat owners.

“We have a fully updated disaster management plan now, and we are rolling out new communication materials to all vessel owners,” Dr. Cox said. “In the coming weeks, we will share videos and public notices that reinforce best practices, from using adequate fendering to investing in high-quality mooring ropes to keep vessels secured when a storm approaches.”

Robust backup communication during severe weather events is another key priority for the updated strategy. While modern digital tools including cellular networks, Starlink satellite internet, and GPS vessel monitoring systems are widely used across the fleet, authorities are reinforcing legacy radio communication systems to ensure no fishing captain loses contact during a storm that knocks out digital infrastructure.

The division has already procured new handheld VHF radios for the fleet, and will install a new radio base station at Pile Bay later this month. Officials are also partnering with the Barbados Amateur Radio Association to provide training for fishers on emergency radio use, ensuring redundant communication options are available when primary systems fail.

“We have cell phones, Starlink, and vessel monitoring systems in place, but radio remains one of the most reliable backup communication protocols we can rely on when all other systems go down,” Dr. Cox added.

To address persistent overcrowding at the main Bridgetown safe haven, which the growing fishing industry has long outgrown, the new plan diverts vessels to alternative safe havens including the Shallow Draught and the Careenage, based on the projected track of an approaching storm. Moving the largest vessels, which can weigh more than 35 tonnes, is a logistically complex process that requires precise timing. The current operational target is to secure all at-risk vessels within 38 hours, provided meteorologists issue a 72-hour advance warning of an approaching hurricane.

“We tested multiple contingency plans — Plan B, C, and D — so we know how to respond no matter what a storm system throws at us,” Dr. Cox said. “We’re working to hit that 38-hour target when we get a 72-hour warning, but we know this can’t be done by government alone. It takes the private sector, the fishers themselves, all working together like a well-oiled machine to get preparations done on time.”

As the island prepares for future hurricane seasons, the fishing fleet continues its steady recovery from Beryl. Before the 2024 storm, Barbados counted 312 active commercial fishing vessels. Today, that number stands at 233, with many damaged boats still undergoing repairs. A national vessel replacement program is currently being launched to construct new boats to replace those that were completely lost, bringing the industry closer to its pre-storm capacity.