Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
THE JAMAICA Teachers' Association (JTA) will be establishing a teacher welfare fund to assist tutors who have been affected by natural disasters or major illnesses.
The welfare fund, which will take effect after the end of the Public Sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March, will see teachers getting $20,000 towards funeral expenses for their family members and $500,000 for those who are affected by natural disasters or major illnesses.
"We recognise that, in a challenging time of spiralling cost, the JTA as an association needs to respond to the needs of our teachers," JTA president, Ruel Reid, told The Gleaner Monday.
According to Mr. Reid, some teachers have real challenges and the JTA has never been able to assist them.
"We are proposing that some $12 million will be dedicated to this welfare fund," he added, noting that some of the money for the fund will be taken from membership fees that teachers pay each month.
Currently, the approximately 20,000 teachers who are members of the JTA pay five-eighths of one per cent of gross salary for membership fees. But Mr. Reid said this will be increased to one per cent.
"We want to create a new-look association that seeks to provide holistic needs for our teachers in times of distress," the JTA president said.
