Delay in BackPay for Tobago’s Teachers

Teachers in Trinidad began receiving their back pay on Tuesday. In his budget speech, Finance Minister Colm Imbert promised to pay $1 billion in back pay by Christmas to members of trade unions that had accepted the four percent wage hike offered by Chief Personnel Officer, which include teachers. This payment was intended to be accompanied by their December salaries.

However, the disbursement of back pay and salaries on Tuesday results in a delay for Tobago. Funding for Tobago’s teachers is supposed to be released by the Ministry of Finance to the Tobago House of Assembly, which in turn is responsible for issuing paychecks to teachers on the island. According to a release from the Division of Education, Research, and Technology, they received the money on Tuesday and are working to ensure all teachers receive their payments by December 31st.

In response to the situation, Tobago T&TUTA officer Bradon Roberts was notified by several teachers when they did not see their backpay as promised. However, he noted the Division’s unique situation and appreciated their update. Although, he is more concerned with getting the remuneration correct. 

Based on his observations, Roberts is optimistic that teachers will be fairly compensated. Despite expressing gratitude to the Division for their proactiveness, Roberts is concerned about on issue. He is weary of all the media attention placed on teachers receiving their back pay and possible negative consequences.

The T&TUTA Tobago Officer warned teachers to be careful this Christmas season and spend their backpay wisely. Among the other public servants who settled wage negotiations and are receiving backpay are fire, prison and police officers; amalgamated workers at the Port of Spain City Corporation; and the Defence Force Pay Review Committee.

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