Summary

• Salary Delay: Teachers in Tobago will not receive their newly adjusted salaries at the end of March alongside their counterparts in Trinidad due to a communication delay from the Ministry of Finance.
• Union’s Outrage: TTUTA President Crystal Asche condemned the disparity as ‘unacceptable,’ urging the Ministry of Finance to urgently provide the Tobago Division of Education with the resources needed to process the payments.
• Pending Back Pay: While the 5% salary increase takes effect for Trinidad teachers this month, TTUTA remains highly concerned that the Ministry of Finance has not provided a timeline for the estimated $730 million in owed back pay.

By Alicia Chamely

TEACHERS in Tobago will not be receiving their adjusted salaries for March due to a delay in information from the Ministry of Finance to the Division of Education, Skills and Innovation, says the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA).

TTUTA expressed its dissatisfaction, calling on the Finance Ministry to urgently allocate personnel and resources to ensure timely payment for Tobago teachers.

In a release on Wednesday, TTUTA stated, “TTUTA has been reliably informed that teachers and educators in Tobago will not be receiving their new salaries at the end of March, alongside their colleagues in Trinidad.

“This disparity is unacceptable. Trinidad and Tobago is one nation, and our Tobago brothers and sisters must be treated with equity and fairness. They should have been in receipt of their new salaries at the same time as their counterparts in Trinidad,” the association added.

In a voice note sent to the media, TTUTA President Crystal Asche confirmed that teachers in Trinidad would be receiving their increased salaries at the end of March, as agreed upon during its April 2025 negotiations with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO).

However, Asche said he was disturbed to learn that teachers in Tobago would not be receiving their increases due to a communications delay between the Ministry of Finance and the Division of Education, Skills and Innovation.

Asche said, “The teachers and all educators in Tobago will not be receiving the same salary because the information from the Ministry of Finance and the Chief Personnel Officer would not have reached the Division of Education, Skills and Innovation in a timely manner, which it should have.

“As a result of which, they will not be able to process for the March point in salary. So, our brothers and sisters in Tobago have to wait for a longer period of time to receive what is justly theirs.”

Asche, relaying TTUTA’s position, said, “TTUTA does not see this as being something that should have happened. We want to ensure that there’s equity across the board for all our teachers—teachers of one country, Trinidad and Tobago—and we would want to see our brothers and sisters in receipt of this money in a timely manner.”

Calling on the Ministry of Finance, he said, “So we ask the Ministry of Finance to do what you need to do: give the Division of Education the necessary personnel, the necessary resources, double up on your hours. Let our teachers in Tobago receive their money in a timely manner.”

On Tuesday, Asche confirmed the 5% increase was set to be implemented in this month’s pay cycle.

While the increased salaries were to be implemented this month, Asche noted with great concern that there had been no mention of back pay. Despite numerous requests for a timeline of payment, the Ministry of Finance has not responded to their correspondence.

TTUTA came to an agreement on April 22, 2025, with the CPO for a 5% wage increase for the period 2020 to 2023, with a spread of 1%, 1%, and 3%.

Estimated back pay for this period has been calculated at $730 million.