Bermuda’s teaching union has slammed the Department of Education for its handling of the concerns of its members.

The Bermuda Union of Teachers said that two meetings set to take place yesterday were postponed at the last minute.

It added in a statement: “These are examples of the lack of consistency and commitment practised by the Department of Education in its dealings with the BUT in regard to the concerns of teachers.

“This dismissive attitude has resulted in an array of unresolved issues, which includes the Dellwood Middle School situation, the Elliot Primary School situation, the longstanding issues with our paraeducators and educational therapist assistants, and various other pressing concerns this union needs to have urgently and adequately addressed by the Department of Education.”

The BUT said that it had been informed that a joint select committee meeting had been “postponed indefinitely” less than an hour before it was to start.

It added that the meetings were postponed by the Department of Education “with alarming regularity”.

The union said that another meeting set to take place with Management Consulting Services had also been postponed.

It added: “Both these negligent postponements were made at the last minute, and this union has become thoroughly frustrated with this harmful practice.”

The BUT said that it was “always ready to meet, to consult, and to deliberate in good faith towards reasonable solutions for all parties”.

It added: “This is not a one-man show.

“If one hand continues to get washed in isolation, there’s no point in trying to do a job that requires two clean hands.

“To put it succinctly, we need the co-operation of both parties.”

The union said that longstanding concerns related to job descriptions were to be discussed yesterday.

It added: “Until we have a real, concrete commitment from the Department of Education, our students, the Bermuda public school system, and our society as a whole will always be in disarray.

“We continue to encourage our members to remain resilient in the face of an appalling and frustrating lack of human resources and a disheartening lack of human decency.”