Talks continue to settle UWI negotiations

GEISHA KOWLESSAR-ALONZO

Senior Reporter

geisha.kowlessar@guardian.co.tt

Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, says talks are continuing to bring a speedy resolution to salary negotiations for staff at the institution.

Antoine assured that the channels of communication are open with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure the matter is settled as soon as possible. She said the talks include the government as well as the union and the principal’s office at UWI.

UWI workers were offered a two per cent increase from the Government and are currently negotiating for the 2015 to 2017 collective period.

On Friday the campus faced a shutdown as the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) intensified its protests. WIGUT president Dr Indira Rampersad said members have been living on 2014 salaries amidst rising inflation and increased living costs.

Imbert told Parliament on Friday it was ‘absurd’ to ask taxpayers to fund the current proposal of WIGUT which would cost upwards of $700 million in back pay.

“If we were to accept the proposal from WIGUT, the back pay would be $701 million as of March 2024. The cost of the four per cent offer which we have offered to everybody else and which is being accepted by most trade unions is estimated at back pay of 79 million and 12 million in additional recurrent expenditure,” he explained.

Imbert also maintained that there would not be any shutdown of operations at UWI St Augustine.

He explained that UWI is funded by the State with hundreds of millions of dollars in subventions.

“For 2018-2019 year, Government’s subvention was $517m. For the 2019-2020 year $520m, and for 2020- 2021 it was $528m. Therefore any settlement of wages at UWI will place the responsibility on the Government and the taxpayers to fund this increase,” Imbert said.

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