UNIONS representing the academic, administrative, and professional staff at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus signed off on a 15 per cent interim wage agreement with the university’s management.

The agreement, signed last Thursday, was witnessed by Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke and Minister of Education Fayval Williams.

Through a collaboration involving the unions a mechanism was put in place to work out the interim salary adjustment in January 2024.

The campus management then negotiated the agreement with the Government and came to a decision on the interim settlement. This settlement was then negotiated with all unions on the campus and a consensus reached on the way forward.

Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI Mona Campus Professor Densil Williams expressed gratitude to the two government ministers for the skilful way in which they conducted the negotiations and for their sincerity towards the funding of The UWI Mona Campus.

He also expressed gratitude to union leaders for their responsible and sober leadership during the negotiation period.

“The value and contributions of our academic, administrative and professional staff cannot be overstated as we look forward to the transformation of the campus towards sustainable financial growth and a renewed focus on thought leadership and activism to drive an exceptional teaching and learning experience for our learners,” The UWI principal said.

“The management team continues to implement initiatives that will ensure the well-being of faculty and staff is looked after, as we build a caring, accountable, motivated and professional team,” he added.

In the meantime, Professor Paul Brown, president of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), one of the unions representing the university staff, welcomed the signing of the agreement.

“The signing of the interim agreement with the university and the two line ministers is a welcome step in dealing with some challenges that exist at The UWI as far as salaries and emoluments are concerned. Though the 15 per cent is not what we asked for initially, it is a step towards easing the burden that staff members are facing as it relates to increased cost of living,” said Professor Brown.

President of the Mona Administrative and Technical Staff Association (MONATS) Jeffrey Thompson also welcomed the interim deal which, he said, shows that the Government is committed to supporting The UWI in ensuring that staff are equitably remunerated, given their contribution to national and regional development.

“MONATS will continue the partnership with The UWI’s administration in lobbying the Government of Jamaica to fully support the compensation review process,” said Thompson.

In his remarks on the signing, vice-president of the University and Allied Workers Union Clifton Grant said this is one of the most peaceful negotiations he has had in many years and he looks forward to the implementation of the increases for the members of his bargaining unit.

“The interim agreement came about out of teamwork with a task force set up to represent all unions on campus and the senior management team to come up with recommendations to the Ministry of Finance.

“The sign-off is not what we wanted, but the workers understand and appreciate that all stakeholders put in the effort, and the process will continue with the compensation review exercise. We hope to have the review started and completed within this calendar year to advance discussions in 2025 for the new contract cycle,” said Grant.