DESPITE INCREASED militancy among the 20,000-strong membership of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), regarding salary-related issues with the Government, president of the group, Doran Dixon says no industrial action is being contemplated at this time.

Gleaner sources revealed Friday that teachers in a number of public schools were becoming increasingly restive.

Militant mood

"Teachers are anxious and in a militant mood," the JTA president admitted Friday, during an interview with The Gleaner. However, he noted that the JTA and the Government have made progress during talks to bring salaries of teachers in the public service to 80 per cent of comparable positions in the private sector.

A study had been done on the possibility of increasing the salaries of public sector teachers to 80 per cent of their counterparts in the private sector. In recent times, teachers have been agitating for the Government to implement the proposed increase.

Dixon told The Gleaner that both the Government and the JTA have accepted the findings of the study, but noted that there was divergence on how the 80 per cent of the market should be computed.

However he said that, at a meeting on Thursday with Dwight Nelson, minister with responsibility for the public service, and other officials from the Ministry of Finance, both parties moved closer to a common position.

Submission of document

He said the ministry would submit a document to the JTA on Monday detailing its final position on the wage-related matter. A meeting of the JTA is to be held on Tuesday to examine the figures.

Dixon said the amount agreed on would be retroactive to April 2007.

The JTA president said the teachers, after completing negotiations on the market adjustment, would move to settle its current salary negotiations for the period beginning April 2008 to 2010.