Teachers, cops sign wage agreements with gov’t
AFTER several months of protracted negotiations, the island’s teachers and rank and file police officers yesterday compromised and signed off on their respective wage agreements, and will begin to see the new rates reflected in their pay cheques as early as next month.
Representatives from the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and the Jamaica Police Federation signed their Heads of Agreement with the government during separate meetings at the Finance and Planning Ministry in Kingston.
Members of the Federation settled for a 19 per cent increase in salaries in the first year of the contract, and a further 6.5 per cent in the second year. The new rates will be paid in November, with seven months retroactive to be paid by December.
In addition, officers will benefit from “substantial movements” in housing provision, increases in the special duty allowances, detective allowances, instructor allowance, driving allowances, as well as financing for persons pursuing tertiary studies.
Meanwhile, under the contract for the island’s teachers, principals will get a 14 per cent increase in year one, and an eight per cent increase in year two.
Graduate and trained teachers will receive 16 per cent in year one and eight per cent in year two, while pre-trained teachers will benefit from a 22 per cent increase in year one and five per cent increase in year two. The increases will be reflected in November, with retroactive amounts to be paid in December.
There were also movements as it relates to duty allowances for agriculture teachers, protective clothing, travelling allowances for work experience officers and other travelling officers, as well as $21,000 in the first year for the book and resource and technology allowance, for which the JTA had been at odds with the government, with $22,000 in the
second year.