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August 21, 2008
JTA and Government at loggerheads over salary negotiations
Yesterday, the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) has failed to come to a resolution in relation to salary and fringe benefits for the islands more than 22,000 public-school teachers.
At the JTA's Annual Conference, held at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa, the chairman of the salaries and conditions of service committee, Byron Farquharson, said that the association would give the Government until August 29 to respond to the reclassification terms as the company doing the reclassification study,Focal Point, missed the deadline to submit the report to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, (another report should be submitted today). Delegate Norman Allen disagreed claiming that that date was too long and said that no one should leave the conference until a decision was made, to which the members of the conference agreed.
JTA past president, Paul Adams threatened that if the "vicious, wicked and cruel" Government does not respond to the reclassification terms, a September school term cannot be guaranteed. He called for the immediate intervention of the Prime Minister.
The JTA has asked for a 50% increase in year one and a 50% increase in year two, while the Government has offered 15% in year one and 7% in year two.