Schools Closed As Teachers Protest

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The majority of Jamaica’s 25,000 teachers stayed away from work Monday, in protest against the government’s non-payment of outstanding retroactive salaries, shutting down the island’s education system.

The teachers are owed a total of J$8 billion (US$90 million) and of that amount, J$4 billion (US$45 million) represents outstanding payments for this year.

On Sunday Finance Minister Audley Shaw referred the teachers’ retroactive wage impasse to the Labour Ministry, which has since called representatives of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) to a meeting.

Government last week made an offer of J$1 billion (US$11.3 million) to the teachers for this year, and a revised timetable for the balance to be paid in subsequent fiscal years but this was rejected by the teachers.

Meanwhile, JTA president Michael Stewart said he was not hopeful that the teachers’ concerns would be addressed by the Labour Ministry.

Director of Communications in the Ministry of Education Collin Blair said the government has done all it can, but he said teachers had to do what was in their best interest.

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