TTUTA demands labour market gauge on wages

Teachers are demanding an external labour market survey be done to determine teaching salaries. The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association’s (TTUTA) general council members hit the streets in protest on Friday for the second time, demanding the survey be done before any wage increase proposal is given to them by Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Stephanie Lewis. TTUTA members marched in front of the CPO’s office, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain. TTUTA president Roustan Job said: “We are here again to demonstrate our displeasure with how negotiations are going.” Job said TTUTA wanted the CPO to complete an external labour market survey to ensure teachers’ salaries remain competitive.

He said without the survey, TTUTA could not determine the increased wage percentage they believed teachers deserved. Job said, however, “from all indications” it seemed as though the CPO wished to bypass the survey and offer teachers the same five per cent wage increase given to public servants. He said TTUTA had been using the survey since 2000 to determine salaries and was displeased the CPO was “choosing not to complete it.” Job said he feared a result of poor salaries would be young teachers leaving the public school system for more attractive wages at private schools. He said he could not say what further actions TTUTA would take should the CPO continue to refuse to conduct the survey. Job added TUTTA would refuse to take any five per cent wage increase offer.