Second week of industrial action by UTech employees

The strike action by the academic staff at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) has entered a second week.

The Gleaner understands that lecturers have not reported to their respective classes since morning as negotiations continue between the management of the institution and the University of Technology Academic Staff Union today.

The parties are reportedly trying to work on an agreement.

The more than 500 employees have been on strike since payday October 25.

The unions and its members met over the weekend to discuss the way forward after they on Friday rejected a proposal from the Ministry of Education to make an interim payment of $400 million.

This is less than half of the $886 million that is outstanding.

The offer was put on the table at a meeting at the Education Ministry on Thursday.

The core of the disagreement is centred around UTech’s failure to pay over outstanding funds to academic staff in a near-decade-long salary dispute.

Workers received the first tranche of back pay in July and expected payouts to be made in two other phases – October 2019 and April-May 2020.

However, the university has not honoured the payment with the Ministry of Finance indicating that it is unable to provide additional funding to pay the sums.

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