Don't be swayed by 'government badness' Crawford tells teachers

Opposition spokesman on education, Damion Crawford, is urging teachers not to be dissuaded in their quest for higher salaries by the Government's claim that if a wage agreement is not reached by mid-March, they will not receive back wages in the next fiscal year.

Crawford's statements come as teachers across the island, for the third consecutive day, protest the wage offer made by the Government as part of its restructuring of public sector compensation packages.

Delegates of the Jamaica Teachers Association are scheduled to vote on the wage offer from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service under the new compensation scheme today.  

In February, of the 585 delegates that voted, 560 rejected the offer with 24 voting in favour of accepting. 

Crawford, who was speaking at a People's National Party press conference held on Wednesday morning, stated that “the minister of finance and the Government is quite aware that there are simple remedies to the situation which has been used for decades, including by this current minister.” 

He presented the Government with three options for resolving the issues.

“Firstly, the ministry and the minister should and could place funds currently available in escrow, which is facilitated by the law, which essentially states that all funds must be spent in the year budgeted except as is provided by law, which an escrow should qualify,” he said.  

He added that the funds currently held by the Government could be placed in escrow and have no impact on the upcoming 2023/2024 budget.   

Furthermore, Crawford stated that finance minister Nigel Clarke could put the money in a specific contingency fund within the 2023/2024 budget, to be distributed upon reaching an agreement. 

Lastly, Crawford noted that Clarke could also announce a supplementary budget with allocations and reallocations where necessary “as have been done four times last time by the same minister and multiple times before by this ministry.” 

“So this again is another example of government badness which we ask the teachers not to be swayed by this effort to have them leverage their current financial circumstances and the knowledge that the teachers are going through difficult times... teachers should not be made to be forced in agreement because the Government is playing hardball into how the monies would be paid over,” he explained.  

“The country is now being bullied in our opinion with half-truths and baseless accusations that has become the key indicators of negotiations that's being held without good faith,” said Crawford. 

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