The Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union is the brain child of Brother Quintin LaRoda, who was inspired by Averil Mortimore. After numerous violations of the constitution of the Bahamas Union of Teachers and several suspensions and court actions, a significant number of teachers were willing to try Teacher Trade Unionism a different way. These teachers wanted commitment to upholding the rules, respectful representation and true democracy.
The final straw occurred during the 2019 Annual General Meeting. A resolution proposed by Mr. John Musgrove to allocate necessary funds to the Pension Trust for retirement benefits gained widespread support, but was ultimately defied by the President of The Bahamas Union of Teachers and her allies, who disregarded the decision made by the supreme authority, The AGM. This incident led many members, particularly those in Grand Bahama and New Providence, to conclude that it was time for a change.
The formation of BECAWU took place at the residence of Maralyn Burrows. During the meetings key documents were created. These included the Constitution, Bye-Laws, the Policies and Procedures Manual, as well as a motto, all authored by Mr. LaRoda. Under the leadership of Sandra Major, an Executive committee was established. Once these foundational elements were in place, the union successfully applied for Registration. The Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union received official Registration from the Registrar of Trade Unions, Mr. John Pinder, on October 21, 2021. Once registered, the Secretary General Pamela Murphy wrote the Ministry of Education informing them of the new union and providing them with the Certificate of Registration.
April 17, 2021 – The Executives led by Sandra Major made courtesy calls on the District Superintendent for Grand Bahama.
In June 2021, BECAWU established a partnership with the Pension Trust, and as a result, began contributing ten dollars ($10) monthly on behalf of each member.
July 5, 2021 – BECAWU was formally invited by the Ministry of Education to participate in the renaming ceremony of the Ministry’s building. The headquarters was named in the honor of Dame Ivy Dumont.
On August 1, 2021, BECAWU officially relocated to its Secretariat on Logwood Road, marking the beginning of a new era, and this was soon followed by the organization’s inaugural Executive Meeting.
On October 4, 2021, BECAWU had its first meeting with the Ministry of Education. We met with key officials
which included the Minister of Education, The Hon. G. Hanna-Martin, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Lorraine
Armbrister, the Minister of State, The Hon. Zane Lightbourne, the Director, Mr. Marcellus Taylor, and other
education officers.
BECAWU’s Meeting with the Director of Labour, Robert Farquharson.
A courtesy call was made on the Manager of the Pension Trust, Mrs. Eleanor Rolle.
In March 2022, BECAWU had a meeting with Minister of State for the Public Service, the Honorable Pia Glover- Rolle, to discuss official acknowledgment.
On April 1, 2022, BECAWU achieved a significant milestone and received Recognition as the exclusive Bargaining
Agent for Grand Bahama, Bimini and The Cays.
Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union can surely make the claim to being one of the most rapidly expanding unions in the history of The Bahamas. In a remarkably short period of less than five years, the union’s membership has increased to a substantial figure of around 800 members.
