FWSC urges reconsideration of Teacher Unions' nationwide strike

Amidst ongoing nationwide strikes by three teacher unions, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has appealed to the unions to reassess their position.

The unions have accused the commission of lethargy in addressing their concerns regarding conditions of service.

However, Ing. Benjamin Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, has refuted these claims, stating that negotiations

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He expressed surprise at the unions’ decision to strike, citing ongoing negotiations aimed at addressing the teachers’ demands.

“We were very much surprised... We have been engaging them over a period concerning some requests that they placed before the employer for negotiations,” Arthur remarked.

He mentioned that they had recently received funds from the Ministry of Finance to facilitate wage negotiations.

While acknowledging the progress made in negotiations, Arthur emphasized that the ability to spend the funds lies with the Ministry of Finance.

Despite this, the Commission had informed the teacher unions about the availability of funds and scheduled a meeting for Thursday to discuss further.

“We admit tremendous progress,” Arthur said. “We were very expecting that Thursday…we should be able to, if possible, conclude the negotiation.”

“When the news got to us, we were very much surprised…Why were we surprised? We were surprised simply because we had been engaging the teacher unions over a period concerning some requests that they placed before the employer for negotiations. We have been engaging them,” he added.