THE JAMAICA Teachers' Association's (JTA) salaries and conditions of service committee has rejected Government's latest offer and is calling for an urgent meeting with Minister of Finance, Dr. Omar Davies, to discuss its concerns.
The JTA is also demanding that Government reverse its intention to start taxing the transport allowance being paid to senior teachers, as of this month.
JTA officials said, in a release, that they were informed of the intention to tax the allowance earlier this month by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. Senior teachers have been claiming a transport allowance since 1993. There is speculation that the allowance will be taxed beginning January or, if started in March 2003, will be taxed retroactively to January.
The JTA is also against Government's offer of three per cent for year one and
three per cent for year two in ongoing salaries and benefits negotiations to
cover the 2002 to 2004 contract period.
The association is asking for 30 per cent in the first year and 30 per cent in the second year and is insisting that it will not accept anything below the inflation rate.
JTA president, Sadie Comrie, said she has been mandated to seek a meeting with Dr. Davies and that the JTA has summoned its action committee, which is responsible for deciding what actions should be taken, in the wake of the teachers' dissatisfaction. A meeting with the action committee is to be held January 21, 2003.
"They are very much dissatisfied with the offer that is being made and, therefore, they have mandated the president (of the committee) to get the Minister of Finance for an early meeting, so we can take back to the table the items that the committee is not pleased with," Mrs. Comrie said.
In the meantime, Mrs. Comrie said that the Government has acquiesced to the JTA's request for clarification or to make changes to 12 of the 29 points in the submitted claims. They had given the Finance Ministry until last Thursday to respond to the request. The negotiations for teachers' salaries and benefits began last June.
