Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

The General Council of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) is to determine whether classes will be held on Monday when it is expected to vote on the Government's latest fringe benefits offer today.

The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the JTA's Church Street head office, downtown Kingston.

Hopeton Henry, president of the JTA, said the offer remained the same as Thursday night but declined to divulge what the offer was. However, a source close to the negotiations told The Gleaner yesterday that the Government offered the teachers a $20,000 book, resource and technology allowance in year one and $22,000 in year two. The JTA wants the amount increased to $24,000 in the second year.

"This offer is nowhere where we want and we are not satisfied. I think the Government has treated teachers badly as it relates to salaries and fringe benefits," Mr, Henry said. "We need to be compensated properly because the teachers are leaving the profession in droves."

Fine tuning

The JTA boss said that if the offer was accepted at today's meeting, some fine tuning would be done and the agreement would then be signed with Government. However, he noted that if it is rejected, the decisions taken by the JTA's action committee on Thursday will be ratified. Mr. Henry declined to comment on the decisions that were taken, but The Gleaner understands that the measures are "drastic."

The JTA has settled for a 14 per cent-16 per cent increase in the first year for principals and vice-principals, with eight per cent in the second year. For teachers, the increase is between 14 and 22 per cent in the first year and five-eight per cent in the second.

Last week, delegates who attended the JTA's annual conference rejected the Government's offer of a $7,500 book allowance for the island's more than 22,000 teachers, which they claimed was a reneging of a verbal offer of $30,000 by Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies.