The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) delivered a second letter to the Ministry of Finance as they continue to call for clear communication and definitive timelines regarding pay increases and back pay.
The second letter delivered to the Ministry of Finance again called for communication regarding pay.
TTUTA President Crystal Ashe asked for the Ministry’s indication of clear timelines.
“The only difference with this particular copy is that there’s something that we put in a little extra, which was the fact that the Minister and the CPO, they would have agreed to pay the third schedule people who are under PSA in 2014 to 2019 the advance in back pay that all PSA members would have received in December. They had agreed to pay them in January. It has not come in January, it has not come in February, so we’re reminding the Minister kindly that it is due to them, it was agreed to, and they expecting same.”
Mr. Ashe signalled that delivering the letter by hand opens the line of communication between TTUTA and the Ministry.
“We’re asking the Minister because we are aware that the Minister does not like discourse in the public domain because he said that in some interview that it’s unfair that he’s getting this information in the public domain via the media. So we want to adhere to that, and we’re making sure that we deliver the actual letter directly to the Minister and we want him to ensure that he delivers same directly to TTUTA via email, hard copy. No problem Mr. Minister, we’ll take it anyway.”
He clarified that while teachers will not engage in industrial action, they will continue to show solidarity with the cause.