FRUSTRATED faculty members at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) are dissatisfied with a recent salary increase granted by the institution, and are claiming that it is not in line with an agreement made in 2023.

According to the disgruntled employees, a compensation study conducted by an external body almost two years ago recommended that faculty members receive a 40 per cent increase in their salary, to which the administration reportedly agreed. On numerous occasions, they requested a meeting with the school’s administrators to air their grievances. However, they said that it was only after the Jamaica Observer published their story last November that a meeting was granted.

In that meeting, the faculty members claim they were scolded for bringing the matter to the media and promised an increase the following month. However, instead of a 40 per cent increase, they only received about 10 per cent.

“Based on the increase that we have seen, we are far away from what [the] average market rates are at this time. I have not worked out the salary increase in terms of accuracy, but from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem to be more than a 10 per cent increase.

“Remember, when this compensation study was completed, it was in the year 2023, and in the recommendation, they would have wanted the university to give us at least a 40 per cent increase from sometime in 2023, to bring us to where we should be right now; we need no less than a 40 per cent increase,” one faculty member, who requested anonymity because of the nature of the issue, told the Sunday Observer.

While grateful for the increase, the staff member said that the amount is not substantial or reasonable. They further claimed that their salary is not competitive when compared to that of lecturers at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica.

“Right now, what we are earning, despite this increase, is not reasonable. We would like to see an established standard being implemented and this established standard should at least compensate us with about 80 per cent or more of what our counterparts at UWI or UTech are getting,” said the staff member.

“We cannot continue to buy the excuse that it is a private university that is just not in a position to pay its employees adequately, because remember now, the service that the university requires has to do with education, and if you have a demotivated and dissatisfied and demoralised faculty teaching staff in a university, then what does that say about the quality of education as an output,” questioned the employee.

Another employee, who also did not wish to be named, requested clarity from the administration regarding their salary increase.

According to the staffer, faculty members have not received a formal notice of the salary increase, stating the percentage increase or information about whether the increase was delivered across the board, or only to specific employees.

They further demanded that a pay scale be established and shared with lecturers for transparency. If a pay scale already exists, the workers want it to be made public to ensure accountability.

Among other issues mentioned was the lack of a governance structure for faculty members at the private tertiary institution.

One employee claimed that currently, the staff members are without a representative on the board and do not have a union, which makes it hard for their concerns to be heard and addressed.

“I would like to see the board of governance take into consideration all stakeholders and give all stakeholders a voice in the governance of the university. While some groups have representation, and they are able to do surveys and come and present their findings to the management of the university, some groups are not allowed to do so,” the employee alleged.

They insisted that currently, the student body has a representative, but the faculty does not.

In an e-mailed response to multiple questions highlighting the concerns of the faculty members, UCC President Professor Colin Gyles said the administration is working to resolve the issues.

“The questions that you have raised are part of ongoing discussions, pertaining to which we are prioritising direct engagement with our staff and utilising internal processes to address. I can assure you that we take all our staff concerns seriously and will continue to foster a positive work environment,” he wrote to the Sunday Observer.

One faculty member is urging rapid response to these and other concerns, fearful that years of frustration with the administration may cause faculty members to take industrial action.

“I wonder to myself if the university don’t see that they are at a point whereby in which it is getting to be a pressure cooker moment where something might happen. I would love to see everybody sit down and have a discussion before it gets to that point of [no] return. I am sure it can get to that point where people can sit down, be transparent, and have a frank discussion,” said the faculty member.

“If the university cannot meet our reasonable expectations, then tell us and tell us why. They are not having a discussion with us,” said the faculty member.

“There is a lot that needs to be done, and it needs to be said that it’s not that the staff is antagonistic, it’s just that I think we deserve a little bit better because we are the ones that make the institution, and it’s rather surprising that we have not had a fulsome meeting to even say what are our issues,” said the staff member.

University of the Commonwealth Caribbean campus in Kingston