Later on in the newscast we'll show you the effect that today's protest had on the city...we'll also look at the at BNTU as the Trade Union Congress held a chaotic press conference last night where the Teachers' Union membership was deeply divided on the issue of accepting the government's proposals. But first we go to Assad Shoman and Dr. Carla Barnett. At 4:20 this afternoon they held an hour long press conference, to explain the offer they made to the unions and to explain that government has yet to hear back from the unions.
Assad Shoman, Government's Negotiator
"We left with the understanding that they would call us around 5 o'clock. At 5 o'clock, more or less, while I was with the Leader of the Opposition in his office, I got a call saying that a lady, I forget her name, had called to say that they were taking a little longer than they had thought but by 6 o'clock they would call. They didn't call by 6, they didn't call by 7, Miss Carla was at the Central Bank working and waiting for the call and then I called one of the union leaders and said 'look there is a human element to this too, Dr. Barnett has a family with children and she lives far out in the bush and either tell us you are going to come with this or she'll go home.' The guy said well do you have a fax where I can send something. I said not where I am but I'll give you her number and you call her and fax it to her at the number she gives you. Well you take it from here, what happened then?"
Dr. Carla Barnett, Financial Secretary
"Well I got the call and I gave the fax number and we waited for about half an hour. Then I called back and he said no they needed about 10 minutes more. But we waited, I suppose, until the press conference started and that's when I left the Central Bank because by then it became clear to me I wouldn't be getting any fax at the Central Bank, last night."
Assad Shoman,
"And this morning I called you and I said have you checked to see if the fax came in after you left."
Dr. Carla Barnett,
"Yes we checked and it wasn't there this morning. We haven't gotten a fax."
Jules Vasquez,
They, as I understand it, have added more heads into that situation and they want to present to you a revised version. You have maintained what you gave them on paper, is what they gave you in words. Have you just simply put it to paper, got these people to approve, and gave them back? If they give you an adjusted or a modified version with more demands would be prepared to accept, not knowing what those are at the current time?
Assad Shoman,
"Let me put it this way, I am not very good at it but I like playing ping-pong. But now when I throw the ball over, the little ping-pong, when it comes back it's a tennis ball and when I manage to get that over it comes back as a football. Before it comes back as a basketball I am leaving that table and I said that to the union members. I said I am not here to play ping-pong, are we serious or not."
Later on in our newscast, we'll hear from PSU President Dylan Reneau who says his unions will keep up the fight and pick up the slack from the teachers.
