JTA calls for further talks with the Government as new school year approaches

WESTERN BUREAU: With the new academic year just a few weeks away, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and the Government have yet to settle on a wage agreement.

The association is urging the Government to understand that "there are some matters that are quite important to the teachers".

On Tuesday, the JTA rejected the Government’s recently-adjusted wage offer, following deliberations during the second day of the association’s 62nd annual conference at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, with 155 out of 213 teacher-delegates voting to turn down the offer.

Of the remaining delegate votes, 54 voted to accept the offer. One voting ballot was spoiled, and another three were rejected.

The wage offer, which the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service made to all public-sector groups and agreed upon with the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), covers a three-year period from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2028.

It entails a one-off payment of $80,000 for the period April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, with public-sector workers receiving a five per cent increase for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, and another five per cent increase for the period April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028.

Following today’s vote, the JTA’s newly-installed president La Sonja Harrison said that the association will formally write to the Ministry of Finance in order for further deliberations to be had in relation to a wage agreement.

“We have been at the bargaining table for a while, and we will continue to have those conversations with the Ministry of Finance, for them to come to an understanding that there are some matters that are quite important to the teachers that they need to reflect on, and certainly move in another direction,” said Harrison.

When asked whether this decision might impact the start of the new school year in September, Harrison said that any decision in that regard will be communicated to the JTA’s leadership by the time the ongoing conference ends on Wednesday.

- Christopher Thomas

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