Classes at the Seaview Gardens Primary School in St Andrew were disrupted on Monday as the gates to the institution were padlocked by members of the ancillary staff protesting a lack of salary payments.

Several persons believed to be employed at the school stood outside the facility bearing placards with messages demanding an increase in salaries as well as the principal’s resignation.

According to the protesters, the school’s principal, Sangieanna Reid-Prince, informed them that the facility does not have the funds necessary to meet salary obligations, an allegation that has since been denied by the school’s head.

Outlining that the ancillary staff are contract workers, Reid-Prince explained to Observer Online that employees are therefore only paid according to works carried out. She expressed that when school is out on holidays, like it was during the Easter break, the ancillary staff does not report to work and are therefore not to be paid by the institution.

“They signed their contracts to say when they work, they would be paid. So for summers and long holidays when they don’t do any work, they are not paid,” she said. “So school started on Monday, they are supposed to be getting paid this Friday and they are striking because they wanted to be paid last week.”

The principal said when she and other staff showed up to school on Monday, the gates were locked by the ancillary staff, putting a pause on classes and causing many concerned parents to turn up at the institution.

“There are only five persons involved in this. So because of five persons, we are out here. As you can see, my staff and other parents are out here…and the parents are more concerned about getting the students inside because we have PEP exams coming and I am very concerned about that as well.”

However, members of the ancillary staff said they are woefully underpaid at the institution and shared that their financial concerns are not being considered by the principal.

“We are underpaid at the Seaview Garden Primary School. We need to get we pay and we want to know how we pay a go,” said Lovina Bailey, an ancillary staff member. “We talk to the board we don’t see anybody. The principal is supposed to pay us and she tell we say no money in the ‘kitty’, so she don’t know how we ago manage,” Bailey alleged.

Up to press time, it was unclear whether an agreement had been reached between the principal and the protesting staff.