Imbert: No shutdown at UWI, St Augustine

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert says there will be no shutdown of operations at the UWI's St Augustine campus as a result of the West Indies Group of University Teachers' (WIGUT) rejection of government's two per cent offer for the 2015-2017 collective bargaining period.

He was answering a question from Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh in the House of Representatives on November 22.

From August 2011-July 2014, Imbert said, a ministerial committee under the UNC-led People's Partnership (PP) coalition government approved a ten per cent adjustment in compensation for academic and senior staff at UWI, represented by WIGUT.

"It was a four per cent salary adjustment followed by an additional six per cent, distributed as follows: from 2011, a one per cent increase, additional one per cent on top of the four; from July 2012, another one per cent on top of the original four per cent; and from 2013, a further four per cent, on top of the original four per cent."

He said this constituted the ten per cent adjustment agreed to at that time.

Government, Imbert said, has since extended to WIGUT its four per cent wage offer made to the public service and the protective services for the periods 2014-2017 and 2017-2020.

He told MPs many members have accepted this offer, but added, "I have been advised that WIGUT refused to consider the last period 2017-2020 and has not accepted the offer for the period 2014-2017."

So, he said, WIGUT is asking for, "with effect from July 2014, eight per cent: July 2015, another eight per cent: in effect from 2016, another eight per cent – a total of 24 per cent for the period 2014-2017."

Imbert said the recurrent cost of the proposal from WIGUT is estimated at an additional $70 million a year for the St Augustine campus.

He rejected Indarsingh's inference that operations at the campus will collapse because of this dispute.

"I don't think so. I think that is just an alarmist wording from the member from Couva South."

Responding to Indarsingh's comment about wage negotiations being settled at UWI's campuses in Jamaica and Barbados, Imbert said, "It is necessary for me to state what is happening in TT."

Any revenue generated in Jamaica and Barbados and expenditure in those countries, he said, was totally irrelevant to what is happening in Trinidad and Tobago.

Were government to accept WIGUT's proposal, Imbert said, "The back pay would be $701 million as at March 2024."

He added, "The cost of the four per cent offer, which we have offered to everybody else, and which is being accepted by most trade unions, is being estimated at a back pay of $79 million, and $12 million in additional recurrent expenditure."

Imbert said it is no secret that UWI is funded by the state to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in subventions.

"For the 2018-2019 (financial) year, the government's subvention was $517 million. For 2019-2020, $520 million. For 2020-2021, $528 million."

Against this background, he said, "Any settlement of wages at UWI will place the responsibility on government and taxpayers to fund this increase.

"I do not think it is prudent to impose a burden of back pay of $701 million on the taxpayers of TT."

He identified dispute-resolution procedures as one method to resolve matters like this.

"I would urge all participants to utilise the available dispute resolutions."

Imbert said it was ridiculous for Indarsingh to "ask taxpayers of this country to fund a settlement in wage matter which is funded by the taxpayers."

He reminded MPs, "The government has to fund UWI. Even this four per cent offer would cost the government $79 million. It is absurd."

Imbert said the PP did not allow thisduring its tenure.

"They did not allow statutory authorities and state enterprises to just give away the shop from 25 per cent increase – 50 per cent increase – 75 per cent increase – without any ministerial intervention."

He repeated, "There was a ministerial committee under the UNC government and we followed them. We have simply changed the name. It's called the Human Resource Advisory Committee. But it's the same committee.

"It is chaired by corporation sole and it has a number of ministers that look at the impact of wage settlements on the Treasury."

But he added this is not an issue of ministerial intervention.

"It is a question of affordability. You can't have a state enterprise or statutory authority just lumping $700 million in back pay on the taxpayers of this country."