REID
THE JAMAICA Teachers' Association (JTA) will on Friday sign off on wage claims for teachers with the Ministry of Finance, according to Ruel Reid, the association's president.
While not disclosing the exact package, Mr. Reid said the negotiations are progressing satisfactorily and teachers will get close to a 17 and a half per cent increase.
"It is encouraging what they have on the table so far," he said.
Teachers and other public sector workers have not had a salary increase for two years, as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions, which resulted in a wage freeze.
FISCAL CONSTRAINTS
The JTA had initially demanded a 30 per cent increase in year one and 25 per cent in year two, but Mr. Reid said his organisation has altered its claim because of the Government's fiscal constraints.
"We recognise that there are obvious fiscal constraints, but we need to ensure that our members maintain a satisfactory standard of living," the JTA president told The Gleaner.
Mr. Reid said his organisation will be having a special delegates conference to discuss the increase with its members. He noted that the JTA will not sign any successor agreement to the MoU until his organisation has a satisfactory salary agreement.
And as part of the salary negotiations, the JTA said it was also lobbying for retired teachers, who have served in excess of 33 years, to get no less than $25,000 per month as pension payment.
According to him, some teachers are receiving less than $10,000 per month for pension. Mr. Reid explained that retired teachers are deserving of the increase because of inflation.
