KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) says that it expects the Ministry of Education to start paying ancillary workers employed at its educational institutions their $25,000 one-off payments, due since 2012/2013, by the end of the year.

According to Assistant Island Supervisor of the union George Nicholas, some 2,000 ancillary workers employed to educational institutions have not yet received the one-off payment, which was part of the agreement for the settlement of the 2012/2015 labour agreement with public sector workers which expired on March 31, this year.

He said that the workers are angry over the delay, and have become restive over the failure of the institutions to respond to their complaints.

Nicholas took the matter to the Ministry of Education on Tuesday in an effort to reduce tensions, and eventually had a meeting with the Minister Ronald Thwaites, during which they discussed the situation.

He said that the minister agreed that the ministry would ensure payment of 50 per cent of the outstanding amount by Friday of this week, and the other 50 per cent by the end of December.

He said that the workers are looking forward to the payment on Friday, followed by the second tranche by December, and the union is hoping that the undertaking will be met to ensure normality within the sector.  

Under the agreement between the Government and its employees signed in March, 2013, the Ministry of Finance and Planning advised permanent secretaries and heads of department in the sector of the agreement reached on March 6, 2013 for three one-off payments of $25,000 per annum to be made over the contract period 2012/2015.

The payments were scheduled to be made in August of 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Balford Henry