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Teachers Protest Slow Pace of Negotiations
Protesting Teachers
By Ayanna Gillian
May 26, 2007
Teachers responded en masse to TTUTA's call for protest in light of the unfavourable state of negotiations with the CPO over salary increases as well as other demands for improvements in the nation's schools. On Friday 25th May, 2007, from about 1:30 p.m., teachers from several parts of Trinidad and Tobago wearing red as requested, came by the busloads and gathered on Independence Square where they marched around the Brian Lara Promenade, chanting slogans and singing. The crowd, estimated to be approximately 8,000 strong, circled the Promenade and was so large that it could be seen simultaneously on both sides of the Promenade.
TTUTA has been engaged for some time in negotiations with the CPO; teachers have been wearing red ribbons every day and red clothing on Fridays, the day of the meetings, for the last two weeks to protest the slow pace of negotiations. It has been reported that the CPO has declared that teachers are satisfied with their wages and this is evidenced by the fact that there has not been an exodus of teachers leaving the profession. The thousands of teachers that turned out today when called by their union showed that this did not seem to be the case.
The chanting crowd, singing popular protest refrains such as "Never Get Weary Yet" and shouting "No, No CPO!", walked from Independence Square to Victoria Square gathering numbers as it went, attracting much attention from onlookers. One man shouted to the crowd "MTS Next!" while another shouted that it was teachers that have created the delinquent children in the nation. A few public servants gathered outside the Central Statistical office shouting their support.
Police officers accompanied the protesters and directed traffic. At times, some officers attempted to encourage protesters to walk on the pavement instead of on the roadways, an attempt that was rejected by teachers as well as union leaders carrying loudspeakers. The union leaders encouraged protesters to walk on the streets saying that they have permission to do so and that it is their right.
Protesting Teachers
As the crowd walked along Duke Street on its way to Victoria Square, students from the St. Catherine's Girls' Anglican School could be seen crowding the balcony and yard of their school waving and chanting "Pay, Pay, Pay!" and calling out excitedly to teachers whom they recognized in the crowd.
As the crowd assembled at Victoria Square they were addressed by TTUTA President, Mr. Clyde Permell, who accused the government of wage-fixing by attempting to force teachers to accept the blanket 15% offer. TTUTA demands that teachers be paid comparatively with others professionals in the External Labour Market and rejects out of hand any attempt by the CPO to force teachers to accept a wage increase based on an arbitrary percentage that will not allow them to keep pace with salaries of other professionals or the rising cost of living. Permell declared that any acceptance of a percentage increase will be a retrograde step as the last round of negotiations used the External Labour Market as its measurement for wage increases and was indeed a success.
Permell also criticized the Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Ewart Williams for claiming that the only way to reduce inflation was to keep wages at a fixed level instead of dealing with rising food prices and the building of mega projects. Members of the crowd shouted "PM Residence!" and "Chinese Labourers!" referring to such projects. He noted that the IMF was back, circling like vultures, and that did not bode well for the country. He ended by saying that until teachers were paid fairly then he as president cannot encourage teachers to put their house in order in terms of standards and absenteeism. He reiterated that teachers must remain united, stand strong and not give up the fight for equitable wages.
TTUTA President, Mr. Clyde Permell addressing the teachers
Mr. Allan S. Noriega, Second Vice President of TTUTA followed and reiterated much of what was said by Permell. He condemned the public posturing by ministers Conrad Enill, Minister of Finance and Lenny Saith, Minister of Public Administration and Information who have been touting the increase in the wages on the External Labour Market, saying that the ELM is the future of wage negotiations in the public sector yet in private, encouraging the CPO to stop at 15% for teachers. He also criticized government for approving a 51% wage increase for its ministers while offering teachers 15%. He said that the government wants "champagne service from teachers, but wanting to pay them mauby wages". He called on teachers to teach government a lesson that they will not soon forget. He said these protests are like medicine that the government must get and hinted at more protests next Thursday in San Fernando which would be like a booster shot. At this point the crowd burst into singing, "We going down San Fernando, down dey have plenty tempo".
Allison Sargeant, First Vice President of TTUTA spoke next and declared that teachers are unequivocally not accepting the offer by the CPO, saying that if salaries on the ELM are going up then teacher's salaries should keep pace with such increases. She noted that the society has a habit of undervaluing the work done by women, teaching being one of the professions that women dominate. She said that teachers must demand a wage that would make sense for them in the long term and the only way to ensure that is when teachers' work is valued the same as that of other such professionals and that the ELM be a means for determining wages.
The meeting ended with the TTUTA anthem which teachers sang while holding hands and a commitment from many to come out in their numbers for protests in San Fernando.
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