A reasonable compromise

TODAY, teachers will wear red or magenta as they continue a series of actions designed to express their dissatisfaction with proposed salary increases. Those actions have, thus far, included last week’s day of “rest and reflection.”

From a certain vantage point, that day was a success. By some accounts about 70 per cent of teachers stayed away on the first day of the new school year (officials in Tobago say the figure was as high at 80 per cent).

The TT Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) had issued a call for teachers to stay away from classes in light of the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO)’s offer of a four per cent increase. Clearly, the call found favour.

But from another vantage point the day was a failure.

This entire situation has done nothing to advance the interest of students who have been shouldering incredible burdens, stemming first from an unprecedented pandemic, and now from a cost-of-living predicament.

While teachers can be satisfied at having flexed their muscles, the truth is there is little sign they have advanced their interests. As TTUTA president Antonia de Freitas observed mere days after their protest, the ball still remains in the court of the CPO.

TTUTA is keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to the possibility of further action. But with no sign that either side is ready to budge, we believe it is possible this situation may soon deteriorate to an extent that harms the long-term interests of students, who must be able to learn in a stable environment, or at least in as stable an environment as possible.

Ms de Freitas’s remarks in a televised interview last Friday should be seized on by the Government and used to broker a possible solution favourable to all.

Speaking with TV6, the TTUTA president said teachers are willing to accept non-monetary measures to improve their employment packages, including things such as deferred payments.

Many people have expressed dismay over the teachers’ action, characterising it as an instance of holding children hostage for the sake of an agenda.

At the same time, other people, including some parents, have expressed sympathy for their cause, in a world in which protest is seen as increasingly vital in challenging systems of power.

This is not just about the need for a living wage which factors in the rising cost of living. Teachers are also asking simply to be paid what they deserve when compared with the open market. In other words, they are asking for the remuneration the job deserves.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert should take the opportunity of the upcoming budget to think outside the box and, for the sake of all, propose innovative, non-monetary measures as a means of addressing teachers and their plight.