Head of the Island's public school teachers union has defended its right to survey politicians.

And Bermuda Union of Teachers president Michael Charles yesterday told The Royal Gazette he was surprised by Education Minister Jerome Dill's reaction to the poll.

The questionnaire, sent out last month with return envelopes, asked Members of Parliament the following questions: Are you in favour of teachers having the option of retiring at age 55? Would you support an amendment to the Public Service Superanuation Act which would give teachers the option of retiring at age 55? Would you support and use your influence to bring about the establishment of Teacher/Parent Conference Day during each term of the school year? and Would you support and use your influence to bring about the establishment of a Records Day during each term of the school year? The union noted that teachers who took early retirement at 60 years of age received less pension because of the reduction in years of service.

Two half days for teacher/parent conferences each term would allow parents to keep track of students' progress and foster better communication between teachers and parents, it further explained.

And it added that teacher record days -- one half-day each term -- would be solely for record keeping and preparation of materials.

The union had been trying to get a response from the Education Ministry on the above issues for more than ten years, Mr. Charles noted in a letter accompanying the survey.

"The Membership has asked that the results of the survey be published prior to the next General Election and Members of the Legislature who do not respond are to have this noted in the published results.'' Mr. Dill earlier this week accused union officials of issuing the survey to "score some cheap political points''. The release of the survey at this time was a "shameful attempt at blackmail'', he added.

He also stressed that all of the mentioned issues, with the exception of retirement, had been addressed.

The policy on teachers' retirement was a matter for the Finance Ministry, not Education, he claimed.

But Mr. Charles said the union was simply following a mandate from its membership.

"Our members have given us a mandate to send out this survey because they feel strongly about this,'' he said. "They want to know how their Members of Parliament feel about this.

"They felt by writing individual letters to MPs they would not have received a response.'' The BUT had surveyed MPs in the past, Mr. Charles noted.

"This is something that we have done before,'' he said. "This is not the first time we have surveyed Members of Parliament.'' Mr. Charles also stressed that the union's executive was not acting alone.

"We are following the wishes of our membership,'' he said. "The letter should have been sent out weeks ago, but it was delayed because we were moving office.'' "This was very serious to teachers,'' he continued. "If the Minister thinks it is blackmail then he does not have to respond. This is the first time we have received adverse response to it.

"I guess what irked him was the fact that we said we would make the response public.

"We have received some of the responses to the survey. If asking Members of Parliament simple questions and how they feel about it is political, then so be it.'' Mr. Charles also denied Mr. Dill's claim that the issues raised in the poll were discussed in negotiations.

"At the negotiating table we try to improve conditions at work and deal with teachers' pay,'' he said. "It (the negotiation table) has nothing to do with education policy or curriculum.

"Actually these things that we are talking about, they (education officials) said were not negotiable and that we would have to take them elsewhere.'' Mr. Charles further pointed out that parent/teacher conferences, which existed in most "enlightened jurisdictions'', were done on a "hodge podge'' basis in the Island's public schools.

He also noted that prison officers, Police, and other civil servants were allowed to retire at 55.

UNIONS UNS EDUCATION ED