By Robert Andre Emmanuel
After months of tough negotiations between the Teachers Union and the government, yesterday saw both sides officially put pen to paper on their collective bargaining agreement for the period 2018- 2024.
The agreement outlines the expectations of both parties regarding working conditions, benefits, salaries, and the rights of teachers and the union in relation to how contractual disputes should be addressed.
It also cements a 14 percent pay increase for teachers, retroactive to 2018. The first five percent came into effect in 2018, with the remaining nine percent paid as of January this year. Negotiations are now being finalised on long requested reclassification of salaries, which will see additional hikes based on individual job categories to also take effect retroactively from January.
Speaking at the government’s Establishment Department on Old Parham Road, union President congratulated his team for their tireless efforts.
“At this point, I would like to thank everyone who made this a possibility—the previous executive who drafted the contract, Dr Colin Greene for being the lead negotiator and for the membership for giving us the unrelenting support which has brought us to this point.
“Last but not least, the current negotiation team; we would have stayed the course, and we would have done what was necessary to bring us to this point,” he said.
The union’s General Secretary Sharon Kelsick told Observer last night the body was “delighted” with what it had achieved.
“We only took office as an executive in 2022 so to be able to accomplish this is a pretty huge deal for us,” she added.
Last year, tense talks over issues ranging from teacher upgrades to general school safety saw teachers take industrial action.
Union representatives suspended the action after two weeks, stating that it was a gesture of good faith.
The last collective bargaining agreement signed between the two parties, according to the union, was in November 2008.
President Charles said he hopes that talks over the 2025-2027 agreement will not take decades to be completed.
“We won’t be waiting 16 years; our proposal will be submitted to the Establishment Department by the end of this year, and we expect to commence negotiation before mid-2025,” Charles expressed.