Teachers get heavy increases, talks now on fringe benefits

NEGOTIATIONS for fringe benefits for teachers are to begin soon between the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO). This comes on the heel of the recent 30 percent salary increase for teachers, which was formalised yesterday at a signing ceremony at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s. In making the announcement, however, TTUTA president Trevor Oliver declared there was no room in the profession for the “minority back sliders,” suggesting they either “reform or ship out.” Oliver also advised teachers to invest their money wisely rather than spend it on consumer goods. The agreement covers a three-year period between October 2002 and 2005, and will give teachers one percent increase in the first year, two percent in the second and 27 in the third.

The average salary increase, said Oliver, will be between $2,000 to $2,600 a month. He said teachers who have seen the agreement are happy. The agreement for the salary increase was reached after several months of talks. Deputy CPO, Stephanie Lewis, described the talks as “very tough,” recounting the “countless hours over reams of paper with endless figures in millions of dollars.” She said they had to close the gap between the existing salary and target salaries to bring satisfaction to teachers, without destroying the salary structure set by Government. Acting CPO Narieman Hosein-Ahmad said four months into the position, she was “neck deep in a sea of red protesting teachers,” asking herself what she had gotten into. She said she even felt TTUTA had gotten something new to be tested, but she survived.

It was her first signing and she assured that her office was working with the Ministry of Education to begin paying the arrears by December. Pointing out that the agreement carried a significant price tag, Hosein-Ahmad too recalled being put out of meetings by TTUTA and eating almonds and wheat nuts. Oliver, who was out of the country when the agreement was reached, described it as “just and amicable,” and saluted teachers for standing resolutely during the negotiations. He said the vast majority of teachers, that is Grades Three and Four (principals and vice principals) will get between 27-30 percent increases, while other teachers will get “smaller but substantial increases.” He said while only one percent was obtained for retirees, the union was hoping to meet with its retirees section to formulate a plan to get more money.

He alluded to getting a pension increase  commensurate with the increases of in-service teachers, so that the retirees can cope with the “inflationary trend.” Oliver said in the last five years the union was successful in getting the salaries for teachers “raised by 65 percent in terms of ordinary teachers, 80 percent in terms of administrators and a 120 percent increase in pensions and gratuities.” Commending the negotiating teams, Oliver announced that negotiations for fringe benefits are to begin in three weeks. He identified those benefits which the union will be seeking as  a “Government health plan, that master teachers be paid to mentor other teachers, travelling for principals, and additional pay for those teachers with additional qualifications.” 

Education Minister Hazel Manning said the salary settlement reflected an 86-100 percent or an average of 93 percent of the salaries in special markets in the private sector. She said the Ministry would be vigorously pursing the delinking of certain positions from the Civil Service to the Teaching Service by taking the required legislation to Parliament next month. She said the Ministry’s goal in 2004-2005 was to “finalise a strategic quality plan to bring quality improvements” in the system. Among those initiatives she said, would be a modern, relevant curriculum, development of professional teachers, introduction of new methods of recruitment and continuous assessment.

Asked about action to be taken against teachers for engaging in days of “rest and reflection,” Mrs Manning said the industrial relations personnel are to submit a report on the matter soon, but no decision had been taken on the matter. Public Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith, who also gave brief remarks, was happy to report that the conclusion of agreement meant that the CPO had dealt with all outstanding agreements, paving the way for the commencement of negotiations for other periods, well before the current agreements expire.