Teachers hopeful for amicable settlement to pay dispute

Garfield Myers

Thursday, April 01, 2010

MANDEVILLE, Manchester -- President of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) Michael Stewart, Tuesday continued a verbal assault on the Government over its failure to honour an agreement for the payment of salary arrears to teachers.

But he also held out hope that news of a late "injection" by the Government of two billion dollars for outstanding public sector wages in the 2010/11 Estimates of Expenditure could provide a positive twist.

"I believe that something is being done... and we are hopeful that we will reach an amicable settlement with the Ministry of Education," Stewart told a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Mandeville at the Golf View Hotel.

Teachers said they are owed $8 billion in arrears by the Government, dating back to 2007. They have accused the Government of breaching "sacrosanct" agreements by failing to pay over the money.

On the weekend, the JTA appeared to threaten industrial action if the Government does not recommit to "pay retroactive salaries to teachers in the public service in May 2010". But Tuesday, Stewart reminded Rotarians of the "adage" that "the threat of war is more dangerous than war itself". He added that " we are still hopeful that good sense will prevail".

The Government, which is also in acrimonious relations with other public sector bodies, including nurses over unpaid salaries, has said that the parlous state of the economy and its renewed borrowing relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rendered it unable to meet public sector arrears. A public sector wage freeze has been in place since last year.

According to Stewart, the approach of the embattled Bruce Golding-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration to wage negotiations with public sector groups "not only raises the matter of credibilit ... but also their competence."

He insisted that "these salary arrears constitute a debt -- a debt which must be honoured".

"We expect nothing less of the Government," he said.

Stewart had harsh words for Minister of Labour Pearnel Charles -- a renowned trade unionist who, while outside of Government, had held leadership positions in the country's oldest major trade union, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU).

"We note the ease with which the minister of labour, invokes the law in disputes between workers in the public sector and the Government. But he needs to remember his history and the history of the union in which he was intimately bounded," Stewart told Mandeville Rotarians.

He added: "The might of the colonial government did not snuff out the life of the nascent trade unions. No injunctions, no state power will stay the might of the teachers in their struggle for what is theirs. Let those who seek to trample on the rights of the working class revisit the history of 1938; remember the glorious struggle of the people of South Africa, against the most tyrannical regime of apartheid and the inescapable fact that the roadway of history is littered with the skeletons of dictators. Lest we forget!"

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COMMENTS (5)

anguish of being
4/1/2010

Millions on Christmas and independence day celebrations, government contracts and kangaroo courts, yet no pay for teachers. Di driva don't have a clue about nation building.

john blake
4/1/2010

Bruce's weaknesses will always prevail. If the teachers get what they demanded, I want mine 2. I cant see how this government never came to the people from early 2007 and told the people the economic reality that existed (recession or no recession) and explained to the people how we were going to pull together to overcome the many years of ecomonic quagmire. Instead they went on a spending spree fixing roads without a budget, paying teachers without identifying the funds, and then told us that the economic recession would not affect us. But it did npt stop there as everybody is now asking for their pound of flesh, and as far as I see it, if the government is taken to courts, and will lose every case, because of their lack of competence, lack of understanding and vision with a flippity flopping government in place. Poor G2K, their work is cut out for them.

mark jones
4/1/2010

Wishful thinking Mr. Stewart, but the Government B-R-O-K-E....It is very unfortunate since the root cause of the inability to pay is years of monumental mismanagement and corruption in the running of the country's affairs, by respective administrations since independence................some more than others!

N Manley Blythe
4/1/2010

All public sector workers should join together as one group with the aim of presenting a formidable bargaining front in order to garner respect and benefits. Teachers, police, nurses, every worker who has anything to do with government related bodies should be a member. If this organisation already exists, the decision must be made at some point to take action. If said organisation does not exist then it should. One large united front.
The same goes for us the regular citizens. The politicians are representing dons, who is representing us? Who comes to our funerals? We need to represent ourselves so same thing, we must join together and form an association of citizens united to fight for our rights and our country. The PSOJ represents business owners, JLP and PNP, well then why not a PSOJC, Public Sector Organisation of Jamaican Citizens.
The politicians respect nothing, they have no fear, we need to join together and make them tremble.

Paul Lewis
4/1/2010

These arrogant minions of the demi-god Bruce, have no pity on working people, while they are busy feeding at the public trough. The essential services cannot be spared a dollar, but Chin and the Dons is awarded millions. We knew the system was rotten, but to watch these guys operate is amazing. Portia and her merry band are waiting with bated breath, knowing Jamaicans can only tolerate arrogance for so long. Appearances and perception matters, and this bunch is giving off negative vibes. Apart from Sangster, this maybe Jamaica's first one term P.M., and I would say good riddance.

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Teachers hopeful for amicable settlement to pay dispute