KINGSTON, Jamaica — The battle between the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) and the government seems to be coming to an end, as the JTA says it will accept the latest wage offer from the government to public sector teachers.

According to the JTA, the decision was made today at a special meeting of the General Council where members voted in favour of accepting the offer.

Despite not disclosing the percentage or other details of the wage proposal, the JTA said the decision has been communicated to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and it anticipates that an agreement will be signed next week.

The Finance Ministry and the JTA has been at loggerheads since August 2017, with the teachers rejecting, on more than one occasion, the government’s offer which saw the rift coming to a head in March, when it was alleged that the government would give teachers a five per cent retroactive payment, to which they had not agreed.

This move, described by the union as an attempt at union busting, saw public school teachers staging a 3-day sick-out and threatening to take the wage dispute overseas.

The teachers eventually accepted the retroactive pay.