The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has urged the three teacher unions currently on a nationwide strike to reconsider their stance.

The unions have accused the commission of sluggishness in addressing their concerns regarding conditions of service.

However, Ing Benjamin Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of the FWSC, has rebutted these allegations, asserting that negotiations are underway to address the unions’ grievances. Ing Arthur expressed surprise at the unions’ decision to strike, noting ongoing negotiations aimed at addressing the teachers’ demands.

“We were very much surprised… We have been engaging them over a period concerning some requests that they placed before the employer for negotiations,” Arthur stated.

He mentioned that they had recently received funds from the Ministry of Finance to facilitate wage negotiations.

"Although the ability to spend the funds lies with the Ministry of Finance, the Commission had informed the teacher unions about the availability of funds and scheduled a meeting for Thursday," he explained.

“We admit tremendous progress,” Arthur said. “We were expecting that Thursday… we should be able to, if possible, conclude the negotiation.”

The FWSC believes that the strike will cause further delays in the negotiation process, as it was expecting to make significant progress during the scheduled meeting. The FWSC considered the strike unnecessary and urged the unions to return to the negotiation table.

Ing Arthur said: “When the news got to us, we were very much surprised… Why were we surprised? We were surprised simply because we had been engaging the teacher unions over a period concerning some requests that they placed before the employer for negotiations. We have been engaging them.”