From right to left: Professor Densil A. Williams, Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Mona; The Honourable Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service; and The Honourable Mrs. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education and Youth; officially sign The UWI Mona’s Interim Wage Agreement during the recent Wage Negotiations Signing Ceremony on April 25. Standing behind them (from left to right) are union representatives Clifton Grant, President of the University and Allied Workers Union; Jeffery Thompson, President of the Mona Administrative and Technical Staff Association; and Professor Paul Brown, President of the West Indies Group of University Teachers.
On Thursday (April 25), the Unions representing the academic, administrative and professional staff at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus signed off on a fifteen (15) percent interim wage agreement with the University’s management and witnessed by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) represented by The Hon. Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service and The Hon. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education and Youth.
Through a collaboration between the Unions, The UWI’s senior management and the Government of Jamaica, a mechanism was put in place to work out the interim salary adjustment in January 2024. The Campus management then negotiated the agreement with the Government of Jamaica and came to a decision on the interim settlement. This settlement was then negotiated with all Unions on the campus and a consensus reached on the way forward.
Professor Densil A. Williams, Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of The UWI Mona Campus, expressed gratitude to the Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Nigel Clarke and the Minister of Education and Youth, Mrs. Fayval Williams for the skilful way they conducted the negotiations and for their sincerity towards the funding of The UWI Mona Campus. He also expressed gratitude to union leaders for their responsible and sober leadership during the negotiation period. Principal Williams noted that, “The value and contributions of our academic, administrative and professional staff cannot be over stated as we look forward to the transformation of the campus towards sustainable financial growth and a renewed focus on thought-leadership and activism to drive an exceptional teaching and learning experience for our learners. The management team continues to implement initiatives that will ensure the well-being of faculty and staff is looked after, as we build a caring, accountable, motivated and professional team.”
Professor Paul Brown, president of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), one of the unions representing the university staff welcomed the signing of the interim agreement while revealing that, “The signing of the interim agreement with The University and the two line ministers is a welcome step in dealing with some challenges that exist at The UWI as far as salaries and emoluments are concerned. Though the 15% is not what we asked for initially, it is a step towards easing the burden that staff members are facing as it relates to increased cost of living.”
Professor Brown further mentioned that this is heading in the right direction as staff and the unions look forward to the implementation of the compensation review.
President of MONATS, Jeffrey Thompson noted, “This shows that the Government of Jamaica is really committed to supporting The UWI in ensuring that members of staff are equitably remunerated given our contribution to national and regional development.” Mr. Thompson went on to say, “MONATS will continue the partnership with The UWI's administration in lobbying the Government of Jamaica to fully support the Compensation Review Process. Yesterday's signing of our interim salary agreement, witnessed by two ministers, is symbolic of the Government's commitment to the process, which is expected to result in a reasonable compensation package for our members.”
In his remarks on the signing, vice president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), Clifton Grant, said this is one of the most peaceful negotiations he has had in many years and he looks forward to the to the implementation of the increases for the members of his bargaining unit.
“The interim agreement came about out of team work with a task force set up to represent all unions on campus and the senior management team, to come up with recommendations to the Ministry of Finance. The sign off is not what we wanted but the workers understand and appreciate that all stakeholders put in the efforts and the process will continue with the compensation review exercise. We hope to have the review started and completed within this calendar year to advance discussions in 2025 for the new contract cycle.”