Nadia Caliz remains as president of the BNTU after their two day teacher's convention culminated today at the City Center - with a stadium awash in teachers wearing green.
This time around, Caliz ran uncontested and was endorsed as president. But she said her first stint wasn't easy and she wasn't planning on a second term. But she said the members encouraged her.
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"It feels great simply because I see this as members believing in my leadership and the things that I'm doing so I'm truly grateful to them for giving me another opportunity to once again serve them."
Reporter
"Before that were there rumblings of people wanting to run?"
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"I heard there were people who were considering. As a matter of fact I wasn't really thinking about running but members kept coming and asking me to run and there was a person who dared me and I took it from there."
Reporter
"How have those two years been?"
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"Rough, it looks easy when you see the benefits. But behind the scenes it has not been easy. When you're talking to the leadership of this nation, you have sleepless nights. I am my own secretary general because we don't have a GenSec at the BNTU so I have to get most of that work done so I get up and I work until wee hours of the morning. Sometimes I start at 2 and I come home around 7 then I hit the road and I come and deal with the meetings and everything else. so I do both. But the union needs this. I said to myself I will give it my all to bring it to the level where it ought to be. We have a lot of potential and we have not been capitalizing on all that potential. After listening to members I realize it's time to capitalize."
And she has big plans for this term:
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"One of them is connected to institutional strengthening. I have discovered that most of my members don't understand what it means to be part of a union, how we operate, I need them to get that. Also increase the benefits. Nobody wants to be paying $20 and the only two benefits we have is death claim and grievance. Members are asking for me. I'm partnering with Lands Department, I'm partnering with DFC, I'm partnering with BTL, I'm partnering with Sagicor, there's so many entities that we partner with to increase the benefits but in course we too need to offer more to our members so today we have a new due structure that we're representing because built into that are these benefits that they're asking for."
