Newly-elected president of the TT Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) Martin Lum Kin said the association is calling on the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) to return to the bargaining table.

He reminded the public that TTUTA’s negotiations are carried out based on the external labour market survey and not in percentage increases.

Speaking to Newsday on Monday, Lum Kin said TTUTA looked at closing the gap in the last trend line generated between 2008 -2011, and the present trend line which was generated for 2011-2014.

“When we settled in 2008 for 2011, a trend line was developed on the market survey. Jobs external to the teaching service would have been scored and both parties, the CPO and TTUTA, agreed to utilise the salaries of those similar jobs to develop the lines of which teachers’ salaries could have been at that time."

He said TTUTA would have negotiated closing the gap for the previous period and was now looking at the period 2011-2014.

“The same process would have been agreed to and utilised and so a trend line for the period 2011-2014 was developed. When you look at the trend lines there is a significant gap between the two, so when you look at the 2008-2011 period to where we should be in 2011-2014, that gap is extensive.

“I can’t quote the exact figures, but it’s roughly $5,000 more for a Teacher I, that’s primary school, and $6,000 more for a Teacher III, based upon the external labour market, the scoring of the jobs and the salaries that were utilised.”

Lum Kin reiterated the position of the negotiating team that TTUTA would not accept government’s four per cent wage offer and was willing to meet with the CPO and his team to recommence negotiations and bargain for a better wage increase for teachers.

“TTUTA is willing to negotiate closure of the gap and we would have put forward a 50 per cent closure of the gap and are willing to negotiate from there. We are mindful of the economic situation, but we are also mindful of the effect it is having on our teachers as well too, and the teachers deserve to have the gap closed at a significant position so they can be comfortable economically.”