WIGUT president Dr Indira Rampersad said the union is pleased by the Prime Minister’s directive to the Finance Minister to take a closer look at the wage negotiations between the organisation and UWI St Augustine.

On November 28, speaking during a post-cabinet media briefing at WhiteHall, Dr Rowley said he directed the Finance Minister to treat with the matter.

“He is not the employer at UWI, he is simply the gatekeeper of the exchequer. I have directed the Finance Minister to treat with the matter with the campus principal, who is by law the employer and let the processes work. I don’t know enough about it to say I’m in control of it.”

Speaking to Newsday via phone on November 29, Rampersad described her feelings on hearing the PM’s announcement.

“That was like music to my ears and to those of my executives because it means they are paying attention to our plight. We’ve been trying to get some movement on this for a long time. We’re still on 2014 salaries, so it’s going on 11 years and nothing has been done, so it was like music to our ears.

“We’re hoping we get something commensurate to that of the politicians re the Salaries Review Commission report, something equivalent, because we are also a highly qualified special category of employees... We look forward to something positive very soon, before the end of the year.”