Philipsburg, St. Maarten — The Director of Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA), Tatiana Arrindell, has issued a statement addressing the recent developments regarding a union meeting that could have significantly impacted the school’s operations during a crucial period.
“It is unfortunate that your meeting was scheduled at such an important time on the school’s schedule, i.e., the end of the year exam period, which potentially can severely impact the operations,” said Director Tatiana Arrindell. “Additionally, I have noted that their correspondence of such importance was sent on a Sunday evening at 6:22 PM without due regard for adequate time for notice to be sent to parents.”
Director Arrindell also expressed her surprise upon learning that the meeting was not a general assembly of WITU members, but specifically for members who are CBA employees, information she had to learn via the media. “One would have thought that as social partners, the principle of engagement and the protocol of due process, if exhausted, would have eliminated all the misconceptions that presently exist,” she stated.
While emphasizing her support for unionism, Arrindell highlighted the need for responsible and diligent actions. “In WITU’s letter, there was no reason mentioned; however, I have noted that one was proffered in the press release, which is both premature and unfounded. Had a meeting been requested, one would have been updated that we have already actioned this request and have already received the invoices for the payments as proof of submission, and the payments have been made as promised. Teachers affected were notified by my person of this update as recently as last Friday in the staff room located on CBA campus. You can, therefore, understand why I am a bit taken aback and feel totally blindsided by this recent development.”
Despite the constraints and challenges, Arrindell assured that CBA has remained transparent and has done everything within its power to expedite necessary processes. She acknowledged the time-consuming nature of bureaucratic procedures for permits, affecting both businesses and schools.
“Once again, had a subject matter been mentioned in the email from WITU, and with sufficient time to respond, this entire situation of our employees abstaining from work could have been prevented,” Arrindell concluded. She concluded with a hope for improved communication in the future to prevent similar occurrences, as after all the students should be and should always remain our main priority and focus in education.”
The Board of CBA has taken the necessary steps to resolve the issue of work permits. “We have been transparent with our staff members by providing updates on the progress in getting the paperwork for the affected Teachers. While we understand the plight of our team members, we have a process that we need to follow.” The Board continues by thanking the remaining faculty and school management for ensuring that the exams were able to be conducted as planned and looks forward to resolving this issue once and for all.
Monday was all hands-on deck at CBA campus. With the full cooperation of Management, Employees that are non WITU members, exams were able to continue without a hitch.
“It is also very important for me to mention how proud of and grateful I am to the students of the Charlotte Brookson Academy for the Performing Arts, for their important role in making the day run smoothly.” Ms. Tatiana Arrindell stated.
