3 weeks ago
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Senior Reporter
The president of one trade union says the entire public sector is looking forward to getting “a fair and just settlement.”
The comment from Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin came after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said on Monday that she was placing her faith in God to help finance a proposed 10 per cent wage increase for public servants.
Her remarks have sparked mixed reactions among labour leaders, with some cautiously optimistic while others are calling for concrete action and transparency.
Speaking outside Parliament before the sitting, the Prime Minister told Guardian Media, “We may not have all the money now, but I have faith. With God’s help, we will find a way to pay the ten per cent to our hardworking public servants.”
Already, TTUTA is cautioning the need for responsible negotiations.
“TTUTA takes note of the submission by the Honourable Prime Minister as it relates to the unsettled salary negotiations,” Lum Kin stated in a telephone interview yesterday.
“We maintain that the MOA (memorandum of agreement) signed in April 2025 was and still is in the best interests of our members. Careful consideration was given to prevailing local and international economic situations, including geopolitical influences. TTUTA is still mindful of the economic situation which our nation continues to face. We look forward to the entire public sector getting a fair and just settlement,” he said.
“This isn’t just about one group. The Government must treat all bargaining units equitably and avoid piecemeal politics. The MOA was signed in good faith.”
Oral Saunders, former general secretary of the Public Services Association (PSA), who recently contested the union’s leadership election, said the Prime Minister’s comments are “concerning” and risk appearing politically symbolic rather than fiscally strategic.
“When a prime minister says she’s trusting in God to deliver salaries, I feel nervous,” Saunders said. “Faith is important, but budgets aren’t based on belief. They’re based on math.”
Saunders accused politicians of leveraging labour expectations during election cycles, saying his defeated slate refused to make “false promises”.
“We were honest with workers. They’ve been living in overdraft, watching their spending while inflation eats away their purchasing power. That ten per cent isn’t a gift, it’s recovery.”
Another former PSA executive member, Nixon Callender, was equally critical, stressing that no formal offer has been tabled to match the public claims.
“Let’s not mislead people. The Government never offered ten per cent. That was PSA’s proposal,” Callender said.
“Until the Chief Personnel Officer sits down with the PSA and tables an official offer, this is just political chatter.”
Joanne Ogeer, secretary general of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), declined to weigh in on the matter.
English (US) ·