UWI St Augustine executive team urges Govt, WIGUT to resume negotiations

The Campus Executive Management Team of The UWI St. Augustine is urging Government negotiators and members of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) to return to the negotiating table, so that the current impasse can be brought to satisfactory conclusion.

The call comes as WIGUT members resumed protest action at the St. Augustine Campus this month.

“We, therefore, urge all parties to move this process forward productively and swiftly, ensuring a resolution that benefits not only our staff, but also the students who depend on the stability and excellence of The UWI experience,” the Campus Executive Management Team said in an official statement issued today.

In the release, the Team acknowledged the right of WIGUT members to protest, especially given that wage negotiations on the other UWI campuses—Barbados and Jamaica—have concluded.

“Both Cave Hill, Barbados and Mona, Jamaica, which began negotiations long after St. Augustine, have concluded negotiations satisfactorily and received generous increases. Those countries recognised the valuable contributions that the UWI continues to bring to their countries and region, contributing directly to the GDP,” the Team’s statement observed.

According to the release, “St. Augustine staff remains the poorest in the UWIverse. The result is increasing attrition of staff and increased difficulty to attract quality staff.”

The Executive Team stated that while it understands “the frustration of our staff stemming from the decade-long delay in resolving salary negotiations”, it also is concerned about the impact on the campus’ students, “who are the ones most impacted by such action”, noting that “it disrupts their academic experience, creating anxiety during a critical time.”

The release from the Executive Management Team reports that the Team “has been following up diligently on outstanding proposals” for more than two years.  It points to “the lack of concrete responses” from Government, notwithstanding “positive assurances in the national Budget and in meetings.”

“Further, the Campus Management’s options are limited,” the release states, “given that Government pays salaries and as is well known, our own acute financial crisis, exacerbated by huge debts owed to us and decreased subventions.”

The Team reaffirmed its commitment “to dialogue with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to resolve this impasse.”

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