TENSION is ratcheting up at University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) as some faculty members express outrage and disappointment over the administration’s alleged disregard and silence after requests for a meeting to discuss pressing concerns.

The issues, they said, are about compensation, campus safety, and excess workload.

According to faculty members, there has been radio silence from the newly appointed president of the educational institution — Professor Colin Gyles — who they say has made no attempt to speak with educators since he took up the post more than three months ago.

They also allege that Gyles has not acknowledged a letter sent to him more than three weeks ago requesting a meeting to hear their concerns.

“To this date, I am not aware of the president responding to our request for a meeting or even to say your e-mail has been received and we will be in touch with you in short order. There have been no official words from the president’s office as it relates to these concerns. We view it as an act of disrespect or disregard for the teaching staff at the university,” said one faculty member who requested anonymity.

“He has met with students. I’m not sure if he has met with the non-teaching staff at the university, but the fact of the matter is that faculty is an important stakeholder within the university and he has not met with us,” they told the Jamaica Observer.

The faculty member said that colleagues are feeling alienated, on edge, and are demanding answers.

When contacted by the Sunday Observer, Professor Gyles said his administration looks forward to having the matters resolved in the shortest time possible.

“The management of the university is considering the issues raised by the staff and is arranging a clarification meeting with staff representatives as part of our necessary fact-finding and investigation towards a full resolution of the issues,” he said in an e-mailed response.

Compensation was listed as a pressing issue for the staff member, who said that employees are still awaiting the implementation of recommendations from a study conducted last year.

“The administration, in conjunction with the board of the institution, commissioned this compensation study. The report has not been shared on a wide scale with the employees of the university. However, information reaching us is that a recommendation from the consultant who conducted this study was that employees should be given an increase of at least 30 per cent to keep the employees in line with average market rates,” said the faculty member.

“To date, to the best of my knowledge, that recommendation has not yet been implemented. Right now, the employees are paid much more than 30 per cent less than what the average market rate is at this present time,” the faculty member said.

The faculty member further stated that they were informed that a pension scheme was set up for employees, but said, “There are no pension contributions taken from our salary, and there is no evidence to suggest that the administration of the institution has made any arrangements for the institution to contribute to our pension involvement in the scheme. We can show you our salary slips, there is no deduction for pension.”

Another faculty member also questioned why, during a visit of a regulatory body for higher institutions last month, staff members were not interviewed despite an e-mail sent informing them that representatives from the regulatory body would speak with faculty.

“There is a lot of unrest under the quiet because most of the staff are afraid to say anything. We don’t even have a proper staff room. Staff members are just not comfortable. There is also a high turnover rate of staff,” the faculty member said, adding that the workload has also become unbearable.

They claim that, unlike other universities, faculty members at UCC are expected to work throughout the year with little to no breaks. Additionally, the said, they have to accommodate large class sizes, with sometimes more than 200 students to one lecturer.

“We have been expressing these concerns for years now. The other president would’ve at least met with us, and some of the concerns were slowly being addressed, but now it seems like none of our concerns are being addressed because we haven’t had a meeting. We have no idea what is going on,” said the faculty member.

“We don’t have a trade union,” said the frustrated faculty member, noting that there was a structure in place under the previous president, but that has reportedly been dismantled.

“We have not had an idea of any vision by the new administration. We’re just in a vacuum. We just get up and come here and we work and go home, and this is not what a university is,” said the UCC employee.

“Based upon my observation, the majority of the staff here has the best of intentions for the institution to grow and to achieve its goals. We are the ones that do the majority of the workload. We are not the only group of staff, but we do a tremendous amount. We are the ones who give our time and data to help with policies. They are always calling upon us, but when we have an issue, we have nobody to call upon, and we don’t feel good. We don’t feel happy about it. It’s a lot of disquiet,” said the faculty member.

In an appeal for resolve, one staff member renewed calls for a meeting with the president and advocated the re-establishment of communication and strengthening of the governance structure of the university.

“Underneath the past president, we had a senate. We were a part of the senate, we were a part of the board. We just want to be a part of the university, and we want to also get salaries that equate to industry-level salaries because our salaries and benefits are nothing in comparison to what other educational institutions get,” they said.

Another staff member requested that a proper plan, which is written and signed off on by the administration and faculty, be put in place to address any and all concerns, while one demanded better opportunities for professional development and growth.

“We just want to be a part of the university,” one employee stressed.