THE Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) has accepted five per cent for the period, 2020 to 2023.
The offer is a spread of one per cent, one per cent, three per cent.
The announcement was made via media release on Friday by the Personnel Department.
The offer represents a closure of the gap by 18.2% per cent followed by the consolidation of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and other improved terms and conditions for members of the Teaching Service.
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, stated that negotiations, which began in November 2024 and continued with significant technical sub-committee work into the new year, were very challenging.
He commended TTUTA’s leadership for their persistence and professionalism in advancing arguments for their membership.
Dr Dindial also said he was humbled by TTUTA’s “reasonableness, rationality and even their understanding of the current macroeconomic realities our nation is confronting.”
He also reminded that the period under review was during Covid-19 when the country experienced -9.1 per cent, -1.8 per cent (2020-2021) in deficit before experiencing a + 1.5 per cent in growth in 2022.
The State maintained employment levels throughout and saw it fit to further increase wages in the public service, Dr Dindial said.
He stated, “We must not forget that during the period our teachers operated in the dual system of education to support the developmental needs of our children.”
The CPO also announced that he received approval from the Ministry of Finance to commence the Job Evaluation Exercise for the Teaching Service a year earlier than initially scheduled.
The long-awaited exercise is aimed at modernising the compensation structure and identifying changes in the roles of educators in the Teaching Service.
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Dr Dindial added that the work with TTUTA was continuous and wanted teachers to know that matters pertaining to the Group Health Plan, classification of leave, determination of increments, transition of the third schedule personnel into the Teaching Service Compensation Plan, the upgrade of Assistant Teachers and the training of personnel who administer terms and conditions at the Tobago House of Assembly were all being advanced with the support of the Ministry of Education.
He thanked the teachers for their immeasurable support to nation development stating that they were not just educators but also mentors, counsellors and protectors of children.
