JTA's 40th Anniversary

Congratulatory messages, Achievements, Staff profiles and more!

JTA - a chronology of achievements

1964

• Unification of five teachers` union/associations to form JTA

1966

• Won bargaining rights to negotiate teachers` salaries and fringe benefits.
• Study leave facility (6 months with full pay and 6 months no pay instituted in the 1996 post-independence Code of Regulations)

1971

• Hosted the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession
  (WCOTP) Congress in Kingston. Position of Liaison Officer created to facilitate easy interaction with the Ministry of Education and Culture.

1973

• Reclassification of the teaching service.
• Classification of Primary and All Age Schools into grades according to a system of points.
• Parity of pay for all positions at the Tertiary level
• Establishment of posts of Special Responsibility (Senior Teachers)Classification of Colleges (A,B,C,) for purpose of determining salary of Principals

1976

• Health coverage through Blue Cross.

1977

• Compensation for teachers injured in performance of duties
• Roll of Honour in recognition of distinguished service in the field of education inaugurated.

1979

• Material and Equipment and Protective Clothing Allowances
• First regional office established in Western Jamaica.

1981

• Revival of the annual Primary, All Age and Junior High Schools Athletics Championships. This was first staged in May 1962.
• Seniority Allowance
• Death benefits for teachers who die in service
• Increment for additional qualification
• Payment of Housing Allowance to Principals of schools without cottages

1982

• Contact teacher programme instituted and annual seminars began

1983

• Principals, Work Experience Supervisors, Supervisors of Teaching Practice and Guidance Counsellors designated Travelling Officers.
• Teachers eligible to work as locum tenens while on leave.
• Fee concession to designated travelling officers.
• Two terms vacation leave.
• Shift Allowance to Principals of institutions on shift.

1984

• Annual seminars for new teachers instituted. These seminars are aimed at professional orientation of new entrants.

1985

• Remuneration for Post of Special Responsibility to be percentage of minimum
  of Certificate Scale (4 per cent, 8 per cent, 12 per cent).
• Vice-Principals in Primary and All Age Schools paid according to qualification plus 16 per cent of minimum of Certificate Scale.
• Principals with car eligible for full Upkeep Allowance and those without car for Transport Allowance.
• Vice-Principal with car designated Travelling Officer and receive Commuted Allowance. Vice-Principal without car receive Transport Allowance.
• Shift Allowance made pensionable.
• Trained teacher with UWI Certificate in Education classified as Trained Teacher (Diploma).
• Boarding institutions eligible for at least one (1) Vice-Principal.
• Pre-retirement leave instituted.
• Teachers on no pay leave excluded from 10 per cent quota.

1986

• Re-opening of small schools after protest by JTA
• Uniform Allowance paid to all teachers.

1987

• Guidance Counsellors, Work Experience teachers and lecturers who supervise teaching practice paid Commuted Transport Allowance.

1988

• The Association in partnership with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (Education Committee) initiated the celebration of Teachers`
• Day, Wednesday, of Education Week.

1989

• Second period of vacation leave not tied to study.
• After two (2) years teachers in clear vacancies for over one (1) year and Principals for more than three (3) years will automatically be granted
  permanent appointment.

1990

• Intensive membership education a study Circle`
  introduced with the kind assistance of the Swedish Teachers`
• Union, Lararforbundet.
• Laundry Allowance paid to all teachers.

1991

• Remuneration for Posts of Special Responsibility increased to 10 per cent,
  15 per cent and 20 per cent of Diploma Scale.
• National Council on Education established at the instigation of the Association.

1992

• Issuing of Government Bonds for payment of salary arrears April 1 † September 30, 1992.

1994

• Remote/Special Allowance increase from three to four increments.
• Teachers who are employed part-time to teach 6th Forms paid at tertiary rates.
• Two (2) years study leave with pay granted to teachers who have served continuously for ten (10) years without taking study leave.
• The Golden Torch Award (honouring teachers for long and meritorious service) introduced.

1995

• Reclassification of the Teaching Service.
• Trained Teacher Certificate and Specialist I scale separated.
• Trained Teacher Diploma and Specialist II scale separated.
• Diploma Teachers who were upgraded prior to April 1995, converted to maximum of the Diploma scale.
• Protective Clothing Allowance for teachers in Infant Schools and Infant Departments exceeds 200 students - 4 increments Secondary 1 Principal`
• s scale; less than 200 students - 3 increments; Vice Principals - 2 increments in the Vice - Principal Sec. scale.

1996

• Annual Professional Development Day (now named in honour of Past President, Helen Stills), instituted.
• The Association became a member of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU).

1997

• Transportation Allowance paid to senior teachers with posts of Special Responsibility 1, 2 and 3.
• Lecturers in Community Colleges who supervise students on work experience
  assignments paid Commuted Travelling Alloance
• 50% school fee concession for teachers` children in secondary schools
• At the instigation of the Association, the Institute of Education, extended the B.A. in Education to teachers by distance.

1998

• Loan facility for in-service teachers pursuing offshore university programmes began with an initial fund of $2m from the HEART/NTA.

1999

• Motorcar Loans revised to $320,000 for new cars and $200,000 for used cars
• $10m grant to purchase computers made by the Ministry of Education, part of the Heads of Agreement (1998/2000)
• Appointment of Master Teachers
• Opening of Computer Laboratory at 97B Church Street, Kingston. This facility was out-fitted by the HEART/NTA in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

2000

• Establishment of the JTA Professional Development Institute
• An additional $5m added to grant funds for the purchase of computers.
• The Association began protest action against the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture`s instituted policy of a rigid teacher/pupil ration in
  schools which saw the commencement of a teacher separation exercise. Over 300
  teachers, mainly from the secondary sector, were slated to loose their jobs in the school year.

2001

• Sponsorship of a contingent to the Biennial C.U.T. Games in Martinique.
• The Association engaged the service of a law firm and used eight teachers whose dismissals were in Breach of the Code of Regulations, 1980. In July, the Supreme Court upheld the position of the Ministry of Education and the Association decided to appeal. The decision of the Appellate Court in December vindicated the Association and the teachers who were `separated`
  were to be reinstated with all rights and privileges as before the action.
• The 2000/2002 Heads of Agreement was important for two main reasons:
• 1) it restored the mode of calculation of the remote (special) allowance payable to participants.
• 2) it re-acknowledged the issue of parity at the tertiary level (as per 1973) and the salaries of all teaching/administrative posts were to be adjusted according to a new classification of tertiary level institutions (sub-university).

2002

• Serious negotiations were commenced with the Ministries of Education, Youth and Culture and Finance and Planning on two unsettled items of the 2000/2002 claims. These were: i)Post-Graduate Allowance of 15 per cent and 20 per cent of graduate-trained scale to be paid respectively to teachers with post-graduate qualification where such qualification does not change their scale; ii) the creation of a career path (i.e. non administrative promotional
  opportunity) for lecturers in tertiary level institutions.
• Association sponsored a contingent of 33 athletes and 9 officials of the 9th Biennial CUT Meet in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Jamaica placed 2nd.
• Updated: 2003 May 01