WAGE TALKS between the Government and the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) could resume as early as next week, as the teachers await the re-instatement of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Omar Davies, following upon last week's general election.
The Ministry's industrial relations spokesman, Errol Miller, confirmed yesterday that the talks had been "temporarily suspended," pending the appointment of the Minister.
At the last meeting between the Ministry and the JTA just prior to the general election, the teachers were told that they would have to await the appointment before resuming salary talks.
JTA General Secretary, Dr. Adolph Cameron, commented, "What we wanted was a new offer, but this was not presented, given the circumstances."
The meeting was to discuss teachers' salaries and conditions of service for the 2002 to 2004 contract period. After the last meeting, Dr. Cameron said that the JTA was not considering taking any form of action, despite their rejection of a Government document responding to their claim. However, they could take action in the future, he said.
The JTA had given the Government an ultimatum - to come up with a "serious and realistic offer" on their 29-point claim for improved salaries and fringe benefits, presented on behalf of teachers in the public education system. It rejected the document put forward by the Government, stating that education officials had neither addressed the offer being claimed over the period, nor had given a definitive answer to the majority of other issues cited in the association's claims.
The JTA had summoned its Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee for a meeting to decide, among other things, what steps are to be taken in support of its claims for improved salaries and benefits for teachers.
The Gleaner understands that Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has already given the JTA a commitment to include teachers under the plan to pay civil servants 80 per cent of salaries paid in the private sector. The Education Minister then suggested a "realignment" of salaries to determine a new pay scale. But, the teachers want an offer in terms of improvements in pay and fringe benefits, in addition to this realignment.
In the meantime, Dr. Cameron said that there was no indication that teachers were waiting until talks with the Government were finished to take up jobs being offered by overseas recruiters.
"There was no indication and there is still no indication that the package offered would significantly increase salaries," he said. "I would imagine that some people would be waiting for the results, but I don't think it's as great number as thought, as they would have been aware that the package wouldn't significantly increase their salaries."
A few months ago, then JTA president Paul Adams told The Gleaner that many educators had adopted a wait and see attitude - some waiting on the response of Government to the salary claim to determine what they would do. He said then that if the JTA did not get an offer that sits well with the teachers, there was going to be a large number of them uncomfortable with the situation in Jamaica and there might be a greater number leaving.
Both Dr. Cameron and the Education Ministry had no figures, but conceded that the number of teachers who left this year was significantly less than the over 450 skilled teachers who left for the United States and Britain last year. At last count Global Recruitment in England was only asking for three teachers for the new school year, as most of its recruitment would be centred in Europe and the New York Board of Education was looking for specialist teachers in mathematics, science, special education and bi-lingual special education and had recruited 42 teachers from Jamaica since January.
