Thousands of teachers took to the streets on May 26 to protest against what they called the Government’s meagre salary offer to them.
The march was led by the executive team of EI affiliate the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), and followed a two hour meeting between the union and the Chief Personnel Officer.
While the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) has offered teachers a salary increase, the TTUTA is insisting that the CPO use the External Labour Market (ELM) survey to determine salaries as had been done for the past two agreements.
Alan S Noreiga, from the TTUTA, said an ELM survey would equate the salaries of those in the private sector and teachers.
“When oil companies offer university graduates three times that of teachers, where will they go?” he asked.
Noreiga said the Teaching Service was looking for the finest minds but not offering them competitive packages.
“National pride is not going to pay bills,” he added.
The protests are likely to be repeated until the negotiations reach a satisfactory conclusion.