Education crisis - Teachers to withdraw their services
Published:Saturday | May 1, 2010 | 12:00 AM
There will be major disruption in the country's public-education sector, as teachers increase their protest action to demand speedy payment of monies owed to them.
Following a marathon meeting of the central executive group yesterday, Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President Michael Stewart said teachers would be putting down their dusters and sticks of chalk on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to send a strong signal to the Government.
He said the members of the executive rejected the Government's renewed offer of $1 billion to be paid by July, and the balance of an $8-billion bill owed to public-sector teachers to be paid over a four-year period.
"The meeting voted to reject the offer unanimously, so we will be embarking on industrial action Monday and Tuesday, with the teachers resuming duties on Wednesday, when they will continue the work-to-rule," Stewart said.
The president said the Govern-ment's offer was refused by teachers in all parishes during consultation meetings held earlier this week.
The next move by the group, the president said, would be decided after a meeting with the central executive next Friday.
Last week, the JTA angrily rejected an initial payment proposal presented by Prime Minster Bruce Golding. This resulted in teachers deciding to stop their participation in all extra-curricular activities.