THE JAMAICA Teachers' Association (JTA) is urging Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to intervene in salary negotiations for teachers, following a second cancellation of meetings with the Minister of Finance and Planning.
Teachers were among public sector workers who were restricted by a wage freeze for two years, following the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between the Government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) in 2004.
"We are hoping that good sense will prevail ... because we need to be very clear what will happen in terms of salary before the end of the month," Mr. Reid said while addressing the Kingston Bookshop's annual Teachers' Day Luncheon yesterday.
BALANCING PEOPLES LIVES
"We must not only balance the books but we must also 'balance peoples' lives," Mr. Reid said in borrowing from the theme of Mrs. Simpson Miller's Budget presentation Tuesday.
However the Prime Minister said during a press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday that she would not be intervening in the ongoing wage negotiations, pointing out it would be difficult for a Prime Minister to get any work done if she joined in on all disputes.
