Teachers reject the Government's wage offer

Delegates of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) have voted overwhelmingly to reject the Ministry of Finance's most recent compensation offer.

JTA president La Sonja Harrison says of the 585 delegates who voted, 560 voted to reject the offer.

Only 24 teachers voted in favour.

The vote took place Friday afternoon at a Special Delegates Conference at Wolmer's Boys' School in Kingston.

The conference was called following a week of consultation with JTA members islandwide.

Harrison says the union will continue its talks with the Government to ensure teachers are given a livable salary. 

“The teachers have mandated us, we will go back to the Ministry of Finance and of course, ask of them to have a sit down with us as professionals of this nation, the pillars of this nation, deserving of respect, and that we sit at the table and continue the talks to iron out the remaining issues as it relates to the transitioning of the teachers from our current dispensation to that of the new, under the compensation review,” she says. 

The Government in December started to implement the public sector compensation review to overhaul the structure of salaries and other emoluments in the public service.

However, the JTA and the Jamaica Constabulary Force are the two major public sector groups for which negotiations have not yet been finalised.

-Sashana Small

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