OCHO RIOS, St Ann – Jamaica’s teachers yesterday firmly rejected the govern-ment’s latest wage offer and said they would give the administration a week to formulate a better package.

“We will write to the minister of finance stating the decision of the conference, giving him an ultimatum that will expire next week Wednesday,” new Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) president Hopeton Henry told the 42nd annual conference of the teachers’ union in this bustling north coast resort town.

Henry later told the Observer: “We are going to be drafting the letter this evening, giving him until Wednesday, August 30. The action committee will meet the following day, Thursday. Until then, we will do whatever is necessary.”

All 146 delegates voted to reject government’s offer, casting doubt on the likelihood of a smooth opening to the new school year in another two weeks.

Henry, however, sought to downplay that possibility.

“I’m not saying it is in jeopardy at this time, we will determine that on August 30,” he told the Observer.

The JTA is asking for a 30 per cent increase in year one and 25 per cent in year two. But the government was only prepared to offer 14 per cent in year one for tertiary and secondary school principals, vice-principals and teachers and 16 per cent for primary level teachers in year one.

For year two, the government was offering eight per cent across the board.

The rejection came as a surprise to some as up to Monday night both immediate past president Ruel Reid and secretary-general Dr Adolph Cameron appeared upbeat about the prospects of concluding the negotiations.

Cameron had told the conference Monday night that everyone was looking forward to leaving the meeting happy.

But yesterday’s vote will now force a return to the bargaining table for a new contract covering 2006-2008.

The JTA is also asking for a 15 per cent allowance of the base of the Graduate II scale for teachers with doctoral degrees. However, the Government has proposed a lump sum of five per cent at the minimum of the Trained Graduate salary scale.

For vocational duty allowance, the JTA is seeking an increase from $30,000 to $42,000 per annum as of April 1, 2006 with a further increase to $48,000 effective April 1, 2007. The government has offered an increase to $36,000, then to $39,000.

JTA also wants an increase in protective clothing allowance from $5,800 to $9,280, then to $11,337 and that the allowance be made available to guidance counsellors. The government’s response is an increase to $7,800 then to $8,400.

The teachers had apparently expected the government to agree to most of their demands when on Friday, in a letter from the finance and planning ministry that was expected to announce a sweetening of the pot, the junior minister, Fitz Jackson, stated that:

a) The government was committed to conducting a study to determine the market rate of pay for teachers. The parameters for the consultants are to be jointly proposed and then signed off by the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

b) Teachers would only be able to access a book grant of $7,500 for the purpose of text and reference books related to study at selected bookstores across the island.

c) In keeping with the existing policy, the total MOU allowance paid after April 2006 will be recovered from the retroactive payments made to teachers.

“I am to reiterate our discussion that the offers indicated therein are given for a settlement only and if these are not accepted they would be withdrawn,” the letter concluded.

The letter had clearly infuriated the delegates who did not conceal their feelings, despite Reid’s repeated pronouncements during his farewell address Monday night that wages were not the only thing the JTA was concerned about.

Yesterday, the teachers started singing We Shall Overcome before Henry announced the result of the vote.

Afterwards, they sang “Press along teachers, press along” while the executive of the union consulted to plan their next move.

“We are at a point where we have to move forward decisively,” Henry told the delegates.