Sun | May 17, 2026

The UWI, union leaders ink interim wage agreement

Published:Friday | May 3, 2024 | 12:10 AM
From right: Professor Densil A. Williams, principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Mona; Dr Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service; and Fayval Williams, minister of education and youth, officially sign The UWI Mona’s Interim Wage A
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From right: Professor Densil A. Williams, principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Mona; Dr Nigel Clarke, minister of finance and the public service; and Fayval Williams, minister of education and youth, officially sign The UWI Mona’s Interim Wage Agreement during the recent Wage Negotiations Signing Ceremony on April 25. Standing behind them (from left) are union representatives Clifton Grant, president of the University and Allied Workers Union; Jeffery Thompson, president of the Mona Administrative and Technical Staff Association; and Professor Paul Brown, president of the West Indies Group of University Teachers.

Unions representing the academic, administrative and professional staff at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus have signed off on a 15 per cent interim wage agreement with the university’s management.

The agreement was witnessed by Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke and Education Minister Fayval Williams on Thursday.

Professor Densil A. Williams, principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI Mona Campus, noted that, “The value and contributions of our academic, administrative and professional staff cannot be overstated as we look forward to the transformation of the campus towards sustainable financial growth and a renewed focus on thought-leadership and activism to drive an exceptional teaching and learning experience for our learners. The management team continues to implement initiatives that will ensure the well-being of faculty and staff is looked after, as we build a caring, accountable, motivated and professional team.”

Professor Paul Brown, president of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), one of the unions representing the university staff, welcomed the signing of the interim agreement, saying, “The signing of the interim agreement with the university and the two line ministers is a welcome step in dealing with some challenges that exist at The UWI as far as salaries and emoluments are concerned. Though the 15 per cent is not what we asked for initially, it is a step towards easing the burden that staff members are facing as it relates to increased cost of living.”

Professor Brown said further that staff and the unions now look forward to the implementation of the compensation review.

President of MONATS, Jeffrey Thompson, noted, “This shows that the Government of Jamaica is really committed to supporting The UWI in ensuring that members of staff are equitably remunerated given our contribution to national and regional development.”

Vice president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), Clifton Grant, meanwhile commended the tone of the negotiations, noting that it was ‘one of the most peaceful negotiation’s he has had in many years.

“The interim agreement came about out of team work with a task force set up to represent all unions on campus and the senior management team, to come up with recommendations to the Ministry of Finance. The sign off is not what we wanted but the workers understand and appreciate that all stakeholders put in the efforts and the process will continue with the compensation review exercise. We hope to have the review started and completed within this calendar year to advance discussions in 2025 for the new contract cycle.”