Finance Minister: Teachers’ backpay won’t be completed by month-end

2026-03-21 - 04:45

Senior Reporter jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo says the payment of backpay owed to teachers will not be completed by the end of this month, even as revised salaries have already begun to reach educators. His comments come amid renewed concern from the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), which recently confirmed that teachers are expected to receive updated salaries by month-end but noted there was no clear indication that arrears would be paid at the same time. Responding to questions from Guardian Media via WhatsApp yesterday, Tancoo said TTUTA itself had acknowledged that new salaries were already being paid, but explained that the process of calculating arrears remains ongoing within the Ministry of Education. “The processing of calculations are still ongoing at the Ministry of Education and will not be completed before the end of the month,” he said. TTUTA, under its current leadership, has been pressing for the full implementation of a five per cent salary increase for the 2020-2023 period. The agreement was reached just days before the April 28 general election between the union, then led by former president Martin Lum Kin and the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO). In recent weeks, TTUTA’s president, Crystal Ashe, urged the Government to expedite the process, calling for additional resources to ensure teachers, particularly in Tobago, receive both their salaries and backpay without further delay. “We are asking the Ministry of Finance, do what you need to do... Let our teachers in Tobago receive their money in a timely manner. Let them receive it now,” Ashe said. Tancoo told Guardian Media that he will look into the claims about the delayed payments to Tobago teachers made by Ashe. “I will have to confirm and find out why,” he said. However, Ashe yesterday pushed back on the Government’s position, saying the union has not received any direct communication on when arrears will be paid. “TTUTA has absolutely no information on the payment of arrears to educators. What TTUTA articulated is that members have informed us that their March payslip depicts an adjusted salary. It must be noted that they have not yet been actually paid, though what the Ministry of Education platform depicts usually is what will be paid at the end of the month,” Ashe said. He added that as of yesterday, the union was still in the dark regarding timelines. “TTUTA has not received any communication from the Minister of Finance – clear dates related to these payments,” he stated. Ashe also raised concerns about outstanding payments to a category of educators. “Additionally, those members of the Third Schedule that were under the PSA during the period 2014–2019 have not yet received their ‘advance of arrears’ as members of the PSA would have received in December 2025.” Calling for improved engagement, Ashe urged the Finance Minister to deal directly with the union. “TTUTA is asking the Minister of Finance to communicate with TTUTA directly as opposed to doing so through the media. Effective communication is the key.” Tancoo further suggested that union officials were aware of the timeline for arrears and reiterated the Government’s commitment to honouring its obligations. “I appreciate their need to convince members that they have started seeking their interests. This Government remains committed to meeting its obligations. I am certain that teachers know that their arrears are going to be paid,” he said, while acknowledging the country’s “severely challenged position.” The Finance Minister also took aim at the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration, accusing it of finalising agreements without putting systems in place to implement them. “The same is true for all unions which have reached settlements with the CPO or which are currently negotiating in good faith. I believe that TTUTA and other Unions are, in fact, aware that the PNM guided some unions into settlements and put nothing in place to actually implement the hurried settlements. It is obvious too that the PNM administration was fully aware of this from their utterances since then.” According to Tancoo, the current Government, led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is working to rebuild relations among workers, businesses and the state. “I believe unions know that. We continue to make progress to undo the PNM decade of destruction and to build a better business/worker/government relationship the country desperately needs.” He added that progress is being made to fulfil agreements not only for teachers but for all unions that have settled or are negotiating with the CPO.