MONTEGO BAY, St James — Mending the bruised image of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and restoring members’ confidence in the organisation will be high on the agenda for incoming President Leighton Johnson.

“It is our mandate at this time to reposition the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and to repair the image of the association,” he told the Jamaica Observer after a church service in Montego Bay on Sunday to launch the JTA’s annual conference which will run until Wednesday.

“We must, as much as possible, take the perspective of our members at heart and we must ensure that, as much as possible, our members feel a part of the association. That is a priority of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association,” Johnson added.

Stormy negotiations with the Government during the compensation review process have left some members dissatisfied by the level of representation from the JTA with outgoing President La Sonja Harrison at the helm. Some have withdrawn their membership from the organisation and Johnson says that will be one of the areas to be addressed as he works on issues, such as compensation, that have been of major concern to the country’s teachers for years.

“It has been evident. There have been members who have decided to pull their membership from our association. Notwithstanding that fact, we still remain strong and resolute,” he told the Observer.

“There are matters that are unresolved regarding the new compensation regime and it is my intention to see those to completion. They are matters that are problematic and troubling to our members and those need to be resolved,” he added.

Johnson was expected to officially take up the presidency on Monday during the JTA’s 59th conference being held in Negril. Part of his focus, he told the Observer on Sunday, is to do a better job engaging with members as the association works on their behalf.

“We want to modernise the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s approach to communication and we want our members to, once again, have faith in our association. I intend to continue with the strident advocacy to ensure that, as much as possible, our members’ rights are protected,” he explained.

“I am basically looking forward to serving my members as much as possible, providing them with the kind of leadership that is open and transparent, one that will see the Jamaica Teachers’ Association remaining that formidable force that it is. And I intend to continue walking in the spirit of camaraderie, the spirit of conversation, a collegiality and collaboration,” Johnson promised.