The Minister of Finance, Hon. Colm Imbert, MP, has taken note of statements made by representatives of the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), who appear to be unaware of who their employer is and with whom they should negotiate terms and conditions of employment. Regrettably, the media, as is often the case, has not researched this matter and has regurgitated the inaccurate statements made by WIGUT and Opposition MPs, verbatim.

It needs to be made clear that the Government is not the employer of academic staff at the UWI and is not a party to their wage agreements, and as such, the Minister of Finance does not and cannot negotiate collective agreements with WIGUT. No Minister of Finance has ever done this, and no legal framework exists for this.