UTech academic staff take industrial action over wage issues

By Nakinskie Robinson    

Academic staff at the University of Technology (UTech) have taken industrial action over what they say is the government’s failure to implement a compensation review agreement for their union.

The University of Technology Academic Staff Union (UTASU) says it has since instructed staff members to withhold grades for the semester one 2023-2024 period until they receive a compensation review proposal from the government.

Speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Tuesday afternoon, Public Relations Officer Tashieka Burris-Melville said the union made the decision after the deadline given to the Finance Ministry was missed.

She argued that while all staff at the university must be included in the public sector compensation review, UTASU is an independent bargaining unit. 

“This decision was taken after several requests and collaborative efforts to address the long-standing issue. Therefore, at a general meeting of the UTASU convened on November 30th, 2023, the members gave the executive the mandate to take whatever actions necessary to advance and settle the compensation review if it was not received by December 31st, 2023,” she explained.  

Mrs. Burris-Melville said other public sector groups within the university are also yet to receive engagement from the government.

“There is an unresolved salary issue with another bargaining unit on the campus and the Ministry of Finance and Public Service has maintained that it will not decouple the groups. Thus, we’ll not move forward with other bargaining units until the unresolved issues are settled,” she advised. 

She acknowledged the implications of the industrial action on students, but insisted the move is necessary as “a healthy and supportive faculty environment is essential for delivering the best possible education”.

The union said it is one of the few public sector groups that have not been engaged by the Ministry of Finance under the review exercise.

UTASU represents well over 300 academic staff and has been engaged in ongoing discussions with government officials and the management of UTech regarding the need for compensation review.

It said several requests were made to the Finance and Education ministries between May 2022 and November 2023 for a proposal and subsequent implementation of the compensation review package.