KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) Friday said that its members at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) are prepared to embark upon industrial action from Monday over a proposed reduction in the health and pension benefits for new staff members.
WIGUT president, Professor Paul Brown, said the University’s decision was made unilaterally, without negotiations with the unions representing workers on the campus.
“The council decision was taken unilaterally and in the absence of a negotiated agreement with any of the unions operating on the campus,” WIGUT said, noting that while the reductions should only affect new staff members starting on August 1, 2025, there are concerns regarding long-serving staff who may change deployment late this year,
WIGUT stated that it would immediately suspend the industrial action once a written statement is issued by the University confirming that it is putting the reduction on hold.
“The campus and the University have decided that they need to get some finances in order, and part of that has to do with the health benefits and post-employment benefits to retirees. They have decided that new employees will now pay 50 percent of their premium, and that used to be 20 percent,” Browne said, adding that these members, upon retiring, will have to pay 100 percent of their premium.
“There are rules that govern what the employer should be doing as far as health and pension benefits, and if there is going to be any changes, then there is room for negotiations. Without negotiations, it means that they would have implemented a unilateral decision, and that is an affront to any union that represents staff in any industry and space.”
The UWWI has so far not yet responded to WGUT, which has said that “until such a statement is received, a notice of industrial action by WIGUT (Jamaica) at The University of the West Indies in Jamaica beginning Monday 2nd June 2025, remains in place”.
Brown said that WIGUT has informed the University that the new proposals cannot be implemented without negotiations.
“It is ultra vires to the rules that govern the staff that are coming in. They want to argue that we don’t represent staff that have not joined, but every staff that comes in gets the rules of engagement, which is something that is negotiated between the unions and the University,” he added.
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