By FAY SIMMONS
TRIBUNE Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
TRAINED teachers will have a maximum annual salary of $54,000 under a new five-year industrial agreement signed by the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Davis administration yesterday, bringing 12 months of negotiations to an end.
The 2025–2030 agreement covers thousands of teachers from Grand Bahama to Inagua, and includes salary increases, annual increments, lump sum payments, allowances and a retention bonus.
It also addresses professional development and training opportunities, mentorship, career paths, safer learning environments, health and safety protocols, and maternity and paternity leave.
Belinda Wilson, the BUT president, described the signing as a “bittersweet moment”, adding that it will be the last industrial agreement she signs as the union’s president and lead negotiator.
“Our team skilfully, strongly and meticulously negotiated this agreement over a 12-month period,” she said.
“The terms and conditions of this agreement show forward thinking, and we are hopeful that the impact will be felt and that there will be improvements in the education system through curriculum development, teachers and guidance counsellors, career paths, professional development and training opportunities, mentorship, safe learning environments, health and safety protocols, paternity leave and maternity leave, and a commitment from the Ministry of Education for a breastfeeding pilot programme.”
Mrs Wilson said the agreement also included salary increases, increments and lump sum payments, adding: “Today shows that delayed is not denied.” She said teachers can be assured their union had secured an agreement that was “second to none”.
“So be assured that your union, the Bahamas Union of Teachers, got the best agreement that’s second to none, as this is my last industrial agreement that I will be signing as the president and lead negotiator of the Bahamas Union of Teachers,” Mrs Wilson said. “It was truly my honour. This is our fifth industrial agreement.”
The agreement follows months of increasingly tense negotiations, with the union and the Government repeatedly failing to reach consensus on the financial provisions.
Ms Wilson previously said teachers were seeking a 20 percent salary increase over three years, arguing that the Government had repeatedly presented a financial counter-proposal the union had already rejected. At the time, she said the non-financial provisions had largely been agreed, with salary increases and other financial matters remaining outstanding.
The dispute intensified in early September 2026 when the union placed more than 1,400 members on industrial action alert after teachers rejected the Government’s financial counter-proposal for a sixth time. The union had warned for months that industrial action remained an option if the outstanding matters were not resolved.
The parties ultimately agreed to a five-year arrangement, with Mrs Wilson previously indicating that the union had revised its proposal to reflect the longer agreement period.
She said the five-year industrial agreement, which runs from 2025 to 2030, is retroactive to July 1. It includes a maximum teacher salary of $54,000, while entry-level pay has increased to $30,100. Lump-sum payments were also agreed, with teachers expected to receive $700 in the third year and $750 in the fifth year of the agreement.
Hardship allowances were also secured for teachers who relocate to schools in the Family Islands.