Don’t turn deaf ear to wage talks, JTA president warns Government

Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President La Sonja Harrison is calling for the Government not to turn a deaf ear to wage negotiations with the island's teachers.

Harrison says that if there is no favourable response to the organisation's concerns about educators' compensation negotiations, it will indicate that the Government intentionally provoked recent protests taken by teachers over their salary packages.

Harrison sounded the warning on Sunday while addressing the JTA's annual church service to mark the start of activities for Education Week 2023 held at St George's Anglican Church in Savanna-la-mar, Westmoreland.

“It is imperative that the Government answers the call made in writing for the establishing of a technical committee where representatives from the union, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education are at the table to treat with these egregious matters and other anomalies, as well as the discrepancies arising from the compensation review. To turn a deaf ear could only lead one to conclude that the experienced outcomes were intended,” said Harrison.

In March, teachers from several schools across Jamaica staged sit-ins or called in sick to register their displeasure with the proposed compensation package being offered to them by the Government.

At that time, the educators declared that they would not be bullied into signing the wage agreement, which the Government had urged them to do as there would be no room in the Budget for the 2023-2024 financial year to pay retroactive sums.

At a meeting of the JTA's delegates on March 8, some 578 ballots were cast regarding the wage deal, of which 346 rejected the offer, 227 accepted it, four ballots were spoilt, and one was rejected.

Delegates agreed to accept the deal at a subsequent vote. 

Interestingly, on March 12, JTA President-Elect Leighton Johnson signed a wage agreement with the Ministry of Finance, although Harrison refused to participate in that meeting.

During Sunday's church service, Harrison suggested that the education sector needs divine intervention to address its current challenges and warned that demotivated teachers will result in the sector's functionality being hindered.

“Educators content with too much and hence God's continued grace and mercy must be sought. This is the source through which our passion for service is reignited, especially now in this climate of demotivation, stemming from the compensation restructuring exercise. Be encouraged, my colleagues, no matter is over until the Eternal Father says it is finished,” said Harrison.

“Celebrating the people who make the wheels of educational offerings turn in this nation is not only warranted but vital, and encouragement, they say, sweetens labour. The absence of same in a tangible way, especially in recent times for some categories, namely the trained graduate with the post of special responsibility, is potentially crippling to the system,” Harrison added.

“The coming days will be telling for the state of our Jamaican classrooms. It must be fixed if we are at all concerned as a nation about the current and future state of education.”

- Christopher Thomas

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