Teachers warn Gov’t not to take protests lightly

As educators across the island maintain their protests against the wage offers being made by the Government as part of the restructuring of the public sector compensation packages, the disgruntled teachers have indicated that the island will continue to see more people exiting the profession if their concerns are not prioritised.

For a second consecutive day, classes were disrupted at several schools on Tuesday as teaching staff staged sickouts or sit-ins.

According to reports, only five of the 48 teachers at Winston Jones High School in Manchester showed up for school.

At the New Forest High School, also in Manchester, all classes were affected and students had to be monitored by the vice-principal and the dean of discipline as the teachers protested.

A number of students at the Mandeville Primary School were seen walking home early as only 29 per cent of the teaching staff turned up for classes, according to Principal Howard Salmon.

Past Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Jasford Gabriel, who said he fully understands the actions of teachers, indicated that the Government could see a significant breakdown in the education sector if teachers remain unhappy with wage talks.

DISCONTENT AMONG TEACHERS

“There is a wave of discontent across the country. I am seeing two different sets of responses from the teachers. Almost all of our teachers are trained teachers in the system and one response is for teachers to leave the country and find a place where their services are better appreciated and remuneration is better,” said Gabriel, who is also principal of the Manchester High School.

Gabriel underscored the importance of having teachers leaving the negotiation table satisfied, so the country does not continue to grapple with a shortage of qualified, highly experienced educators.

“It is incumbent upon the powers that be to ensure that coming out of this restructuring exercise, our teachers feel better appreciated for the invaluable service they would have been offering to this nation,” he stressed.

He added that this is a matter of urgency as his institution is among a number of schools now struggling to fill vacancies.

“It is the first in my long tenure here at Manchester High School that I am advertising for teachers in areas that we wouldn’t normally need to advertise for and yet we cannot find persons to fill the vacancies. When you are losing teachers with 20 and 25 years of experience, you don’t replace that in a short time,” said Gabriel.

He stated that the impact on the education system is debilitating and the process for redress must be expedited.

“The signs are ominous for the teaching profession and also the Government and the powers that be, that’s why we can’t take this lightly … . Clearly the teachers are incensed and it requires good dialogue, consultation, stability of mind and thought to ensure that everyone has a good understanding of where we are, and that teachers can come out of the process much better,” said the former JTA head.

With $4.3 billion added to the Budget for the fiscal year ending March 31, according to Minister of Finance and the Public Service Nigel Clarke, teachers are requiring that they are among the public service groups to receive a significant percentage of the allocation.

Despite warnings that payments cannot be made from the 2023-2024 Budget should workers miss the March 31 deadline to settle, teachers remain resolute in their decision to lobby for more.

“If the Government is correct, we have been on a trajectory of growth, and if we are taking that in mind, is the Government going to mismanage the economy so much that it cannot pay us? That is something that we have to look into and say that it’s unfair,” said a teacher at Manchester High.

tamara.bailey@gleanerjm.com