TTUTA accuses Govt of bad industrial relations practice with 5% final offer
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), Martin Lum Kin, is fiercely criticizing Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s announcement of a 5-percent salary increase for public sector workers.
During the Budget presentation on Monday, Imbert said even in the face of challenging financial circumstances, the Government has decided to offer a 5-percent increase, which would cost an additional $475 million annually and could lead to over $1 billion in back-pay by the end of 2024.
Martin Lum Kin condemned the government’s declaration, saying it is not in keeping with good industrial relations practices.
“To publicly state a final offer in the public domain and to believe that the Association will accede to this officer is outrageous and callous,” the TTUTA president stated.
“This government is seeking to circumvent the established methodology of bilateral negotiations between the representative of the employer—the CPO—and the relevant, recognised association,” he added.
He called on the Government to return to the established industrial relations practise, which involves utilising and applying the external labour market survey to close remuneration gaps in the market—a methodology recognised by the CPO.
The Minister of Finance also said that the refusal by the PSA and the NUGFW of the 4-percent offer cannot be allowed to delay negotiations with other unions.
Minister Imbert announced the beginning of negotiations for the January 2020 to December 2022 period with those unions that had accepted the prior 4-percent offer.
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