A wage increase of 6% is a reasonable compromise for the time being, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Pro Vice-Chancellor and principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine has said.
She was responding yesterday to the acceptance of the Government’s 6% wage increase offer to university staff for the six-year period August 2014 to July 2020. In a statement to the Sunday Express yesterday, Antoine said there were still other issues to address.
Antoine said despite The UWI’s prestigious ranking as the number one university in the Caribbean and among the top 3% in the world, its remuneration packages remained uncompetitive compared to institutions within Trinidad and Tobago and across the region.
All protest action has ceased at The UWI, St Augustine, campus as staff have accepted the Government’s offer.
President of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) Dr Indira Rampersad said on Friday while the increase was not comparable to what would be received by public officials whose salaries have been raised by the Salaries Review Commission (SRC), the union’s members decided that accepting the State’s offer was in their best interest in the current “uncertain” economic climate.
Antoine said among the serious issues which The UWI faces is the difficulty in attracting and retaining staff.
“I want to thank students for their patience and understanding and WIGUT and staff for agreeing. The issue of decent salaries is an important issue. We are not entirely there yet, but I think a good first step has been made.
“We will be working toward a job evaluation because the larger issues remain. Our salaries are not competitive although we are the number one university in the Caribbean and the top 3% in the world, we are way behind institutions here in T&T and the region in terms of remuneration,” she stated.
She added, “The practical consequence of that is that we are having difficulty attracting and even retaining staff. I had six academics resign two weeks ago. So, I remain worried about the implications for the quality assurance and sustainability of The UWI. However, I thank the Government for this first positive step.”
She pointed out that the university relied on the Government for funding.
“While we are consistently called upon to be more self-sustainable, business-oriented, we are really not given a fair opportunity to do so in T&T because our tuition fees are artificially restricted way below market rates and even in comparison to our sister UWI campuses and, of course, we have huge receivables, that are debts owed to us from students, other stakeholders, and even the Government, which negatively impacts our sustainability,” Antoine explained.
She said although huge strides have been made in entrepreneurship and research and development, it is not enough.
“Universities are expensive to run, but they are needed now more than ever to drive development in this fast-changing world. In fact, we are embarking on a huge endowment drive to receive donations and endowments from our many successful alumni and friends.
“As you know, this is what all universities abroad do to help sustain themselves. I want to encourage our alumni to give back to their alma mater and in so doing, help develop our human capital and country. So, we press on.
“I know staff are awaiting the backpay from Government as promised. Some years ago, WIGUT took protest action when the backpay was too late, so I am hoping to avoid that this time around so that this peace can be maintained,” Antoine said. —VB
