Nationwide strike forces schools online

Their decision comes amid a nationwide strike by public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators who are demanding a traffic ticket amnesty in light of the new Road Traffic Act 2018 which comes into effect December 1, 2022.

PPV drivers have been forewarned by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) of a rigid scheme of enforcement to the revised regulations under the act which, among other things, prohibits motorists with even a single unpaid ticket from renewing their driver’s licence.

But last week’s warning from ITA director Kenute Hare of the planned operations to come has not gone down well with PPV drivers, with members of its umbrella group the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS) yesterday voting unanimously to strike if the government continues to ignore its appeal for an amnesty.

For PPV drivers, today is the first of an undetermined period to withdraw their services with such action having a crippling effect on just about every industry and aspect of daily life.

Hundreds of commuters, including students and teachers, were left stranded by the strike action, some reaching school late while others never made it at all.

By midday St Catherine High, Old Harbour High and Old Harbour Primary schools among many institutions dismissed classes early, while advising that teaching will shift to online until the situation improves.

“In light of the current disruption in public transportation as a result of the strike by taxi operators, teachers and students on the junior shift are being asked to utilize online learning platforms for today, Monday, November 14, 2022.

“Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15, we will proceed online for all grades if the situation remains the same or worsens,” read a bulletin from Old Harbour High.

Similarly, St Catherine High School principal Marlon Campbell informed stakeholders: “There will be no face to face classes on November 15, 2022 as the students will be engaged online,” then added: “We are asking all students to check their school email addresses for the invitation.”

Here in Old Harbour a large crowd of commuters converged inside the two main public transportation parks on East Street and Darlington Drive, with some persons opting to walk to their destinations more than a mile in distance.

The government is yet to respond to the demands of the transport operators, a move that Mikael Phillips, opposition spokesperson on transport, has characterized as a “governance-by-silence approach”.

In a statement released to the press Phillips called for “good sense to prevail” to bring the protest to a swift end, while noting that his call for an intense public education campaign prior to the pending imposition of the new law, has been ignored by the government.

He claimed that under the new Road Traffic Act to come on stream, there is still no guarantee that the system will work effective and efficiently given that the infrastructure to integrate the courts office, tax administration, ITA and the police doesn’t exist at present.

However, while this may be the case, Hare appealed last week to motorists with outstanding traffic tickets to make contact with the relevant authorities so a workable solution can be determined on a case by case basis.

And in an update following the publication of this original article, the government issued a statement indicating that it will not accede to the demands of the protesters.

The TODSS boss has since hit back, indicating that the protest will continue tomorrow until a consensus is reached.