Public school students across Antigua and Barbuda have been advised to remain at home today, as teachers continue industrial action over long standing unpaid allowances, some of which date back to 2018.

The Ministry of Education announced the cancellation of classes late Sunday evening, citing concerns for student safety while noting that teachers are still required to report to their respective schools. “Security was at the forefront of the Ministry’s decision to have students remain at home,” the official statement read.

However, the Ministry assured that the ongoing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) have not been disrupted.

The sit-in protest, led by the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (A&BUT), began on Friday, May 2, after the government missed a deadline to fulfill several financial commitments to educators. The union is demanding payment of outstanding allowances, including those related to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, ex-gratia payments for Heads of Departments, and travel and telephone allowances for school principals and deputy principals.

Casroy Charles, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (A&BUT) confirmed that the industrial action would continue this week.

Government officials, including Education Minister Daryll Matthew, said efforts had been made to meet the union’s demands. “We have fulfilled our part of the arrangement so far as I’ve been made aware,” Minister Matthew said, adding that as of Friday all the outstanding cheques were remitted to the teachers.

Despite this, the Prime Minister took a hard stance over the weekend, accusing the union of overreacting. On his weekly radio programme, Prime Minister Gaston Browne described the teachers’ continued sit-in as “excessive” and “disproportionate.” He also took aim at the union’s leadership, calling President Casroy Charles “a political hack.”

This marks the second round of industrial action by educators within a month, affecting operations at 43 public primary and secondary schools. The union maintains that the strike will continue until all outstanding matters are addressed and an official notice for the resumption of classes is issued.

No timeline has been provided by the Ministry for when normal classes will resume.