UWI lecturers agree to new wage increase, but hold-outs remain

Lecturers at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) have agreed to a five per cent salary increase over a three year period, even as public workers gear up for further industrial action against the six-month-old Trinidad and Tobago government for increased wages.

The West Indian Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) Monday signed the agreement, bringing to an end weeks of protest action at the campus that threatened to disrupt end-of-semester exams, with lecturers indicating they were prepared to withhold examination questions.

But the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), which represents the administrative, technical and daily-rated staff at the university, has said it will not accept the five per cent offer.

"We have refused a five per cent offer. I am happy WIGUT could reach some amicable solution, it is good that both sides can come together but we will not be accepting that kind of offer for our members," OWTU-UWI branch president Curt Stewart said.

"We met on November 17 and were offered five per cent but we refused it. We will be meeting again on Friday and, clearly, we would not be accepting five per cent. We are talking about two different group of workers," Stewart said.

The Kamla Persad-Bissessar government said the agreement with lecturers brings a two-year stalemate to a close.

Both parties agreed that in light of the experience gained in the course of the negotiations for this agreement, they would re-examine the arrangements for future salary talks before the beginning of the next wage round, a government statement said.

The Public Services Association (PSA), meanwhile, has warned of a "blue Christmas" and that its members would not settle for the five per cent wage offer.

"Inflation has eroded the salaries of public servants. Our members are ill-paid and we will not be accepting any five per cent," said PSA president Watson Duke.

"The PSA will not be accepting that kind of offer. We will not be accepting five per cent, 10 per cent or 15 per cent. The Government will be seeing a blue Christmas," Duke said.

- CMC