THE WEST Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), led by president Dr Indira Rampersad, marched through UWI’s St Augustine campus as part of their protest over an ongoing salary dispute on January 20, the first teaching day for 2025.
Members marched from the UWI Learning Resource Centre (LRC) to the office of UWI principal Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, where they demanded that she come out and speak to them.
When she did, Rampersad questioned her about the status of salary negotiations between UWI management and the government.
Antoine said she was in contact with the finance and education ministers and was awaiting a response on the status of the negotiations.
“We are at the mercy of the Finance Minister and by extension, the government. Because the campus management, as you know, cannot give you an increase...It’s not because of bad management or anything like that...
“Honestly I am now at my wits 'end. I don’t know what else campus management can do.
"I have a good team with me. We’ve all worked very hard and we’ve all tried to maintain the balance. As I said, we don’t want our students to suffer unnecessarily…”
She said concerns went beyond teachers' salaries, as a lack of funding affected the long-term functioning of the university.
Antoine said there were not adequate funds to sustain the campus long-term and such financial issues affected the campus’s infrastructure and employee retention.
“People are leaving, because there are greener pastures.
“We have not been able to attract a librarian, we’ve had three people turn down the offer when they see the salary, and we’ve now had to employ persons without PhDs in other areas.”
She expressed concern about UWI’s performance saying the award-winning work and research initiatives the university carried out could not be sustained under the current financial conditions.
“If we cannot pay a reasonable salary, then we cannot attract the calibre of persons that make this a great institution.”
But Antoine said campus management was doing all it could to address the situation.
“Don’t think we are just twiddling our thumbs, we are in active discussion. But we have to give them opportunities to consider what we say.
"So it’s not a question of not having plans, the ball is really in the court in the government at this point.”
Antoine said she remained optimistic the situation could be resolved.
“I’m encouraged that there is some communication, and hopefully very soon we can get something concrete because I don’t want to be going back to ground zero…I trust in the goodwill of all those concerned."
WIGUT: Protests will continue
In addition to the march, WIGUT intends to continue protesting throughout the semester. Rampersad sent Newsday a letter outlining a three-week protest plan.
It encouraged members to shut down all system operations and continue withholding grades. It said members will engage in "Whitewash Week" from January 27-31.
“This is a week of rest and reflection. During the entire day, you should not answer your desk pho
