A Teen’s Take on Antigua’s Teacher and Nurse Crisis

May 8, 2025

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A Teen’s Take on Antigua’s Teacher and Nurse Crisis

By Adahna H., 14 — Student with a Voice

Their Indifference

By textbook definition, indifference is the lack of interest, concern, or sympathy—and since 2018, our government has shown complete and utter indifference to its own workers, especially teachers and nurses.

Can you imagine that? The very people responsible for educating the next generation and holding up our healthcare system are the ones being denied the pay and respect they’ve rightfully earned.

Year after year, they’ve worked through broken promises, delayed salaries, and crumbling conditions—while officials act like their struggles don’t exist.

How can we claim to care about the future when we treat the people building it like they don’t matter?

The Retaliation of the Teachers

Between 2023 and 2025, Antigua and Barbuda’s public-school teachers, led by the Antigua & Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT), carried out a series of strikes and sit-ins over delayed retroactive payments, salary upgrades, promotion letters, and unpaid allowances.

Key actions included an April 2023 strike that ended after retroactive payments were released, a September 2024 sit-in over 2019–2021 salary adjustments, and a major walkout in April 2025 that left around 5,000 students without supervision.

The most recent protest, starting May 2nd, 2025, involves a nationwide sit-in and has caused widespread school disruptions island-wide.

The Nurses’ Struggle

From 2019 to 2025, nurses in Antigua and Barbuda, represented by the Antigua and Barbuda Nurses Association (ABNA), have continuously raised concerns about poor working conditions, lack of formal contracts for over 15 years, and the absence of a promised pension and thrift fund since 2009.

In April 2023, nurses threatened industrial action after the government failed to address these long-standing issues, including delayed overtime payments and inadequate staffing.

Despite public criticism—especially from Health Minister Molwyn Joseph—no serious reforms were introduced.

While nurses haven’t gone on full strike yet, tensions remain high as the union warns they are ready to act if nothing changes.

Union Actions and Statements

The Antigua & Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT) and the Antigua and Barbuda Nurses Association (ABNA) have been leading the charge for justice and fair treatment.

ABUT has organized several full strikes and sit-ins, fighting for delayed payments, overdue promotions, and long-ignored allowances.

Union leaders like Casroy Charles and Sharon Kelsick have stood firm, insisting that teachers won’t back down until their rights are honored.

On the nursing side, ABNA has repeatedly raised its voice against broken promises—like the still-missing pension plan and lack of formal contracts—with Vice President Arlia Gregory expressing clear frustration about the government’s lack of urgency.

Official Responses and Policy

Government responses have mostly come in the form of public reassurances and partial payments, but not much real change.

Education Minister Daryll Matthew and Health Minister Molwyn Joseph have made promises that sound nice, but issues like fair promotions

and proper contract reforms continue to be ignored. In both education and healthcare, the response feels more like damage control than meaningful action.

For nurses especially, 15 years without formal contracts and a pension plan that’s still “in progress” is more than just a delay—it’s neglect.

Public Reaction

The public has mostly sided with teachers and nurses, knowing how important they are to Antigua and Barbuda’s future.

Many parents and students are upset about missed school days, but they’re even more upset about how badly the system is treating the people we rely on most.

Local media and civil groups have spoken out, calling for real action, not just temporary solutions.

While the nurses haven’t taken full strike action yet, the public is paying attention—and they’re losing patience, too.

It’s Time to Wake Up

At the end of the day, we’re not just talking about money—we’re talking about people. Real people who show up every day to teach us, care for us, and keep this country running, even when they’re tired, underpaid, and overlooked.

It’s honestly heartbreaking to watch our teachers walk out of classrooms and our nurses speak up just to get the basics they deserve.

As a student, it makes me wonder: if they don’t feel valued, where does that leave the rest of us?

The government needs to stop delaying and start listening—because the longer this goes on, the more it hurts all of us. We can’t build a strong future if we keep ignoring the very people who are shaping it.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

— Nelson Mandela