Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo has assured that school supervisors and guidance counsellors who have not yet received their retroactive payments will be paid by January 2026, following complaints from Third Schedule officers in the Teaching Service.
Tancoo was responding to concerns raised by school supervisors, guidance officers and other staff in the Student Support Division, who say they have been left in limbo while other education-sector workers, including teachers and principals, have already received salary increases and backpay.
Addressing the issue, Tancoo explained that Third Schedule officers remain under the Civil Service pay structure, even though they are now represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA).
“Those officers are still under the Civil Service Plan but are represented by TTUTA. They should also get the new salaries in 2026 with everyone else under PSA for the civil service,” Tancoo said.
He explained that the payment of advances to these officers was not done simultaneously with other public-sector workers because of the need for a separate audit process.
“The advance was not treated with since TTUTA got recognition status of those officers in 2018, and to avoid overpaying them, it was discussed with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and the Chief Administrator in Tobago that a separate process must be performed for them in January 2026 to audit and calculate the arrears they would be due, given they are now under TTUTA as at 2018,” Tancoo said.
He added that attempting to resolve the issue at the same time as the broader arrears payments would have slowed the overall process.
“Attempting to treat with that issue while addressing the arrears payment would have delayed the main objective,” he said.
Tancoo also said he was not aware of ongoing complaints about unpaid travelling allowances.
“I am not familiar with the travelling allowance issue. I will talk to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, on it,” he added.
Third Schedule officers, including school supervisors, guidance officers and other student support professionals, said they have been unfairly excluded from payments that other members of the Teaching Service have already received.
Teachers and principals have been paid new salaries and backpay dating back to December 2023, covering wage increases of four per cent for the periods 2014-2016 and 2017-2019, and are due to receive a further five per cent for the period 2020-2022 in January 2026.
However, the Third Schedule officers said no clear explanation has been provided as to why they have not received their due payments.
The officers were transferred from the Public Service to the Teaching Service around 2000, but they continue to be paid on the Public Service Grade System, supplemented by an interim allowance to bridge the gap between their salaries and those of junior Teaching Service officers.
Up to 2019, the officers were represented by the Public Services Association (PSA).
In 2018, TTUTA became the recognised bargaining agent for Third Schedule officers.
In 2023, they were informed they would have to wait until PSA completed negotiations, even as other members of the Teaching Service benefited from salary settlements.
Now that PSA has concluded negotiations for the 2014-2019 period, and its members have received advances on backpay, the officers say they are still awaiting confirmation on when their payments will be made.
In addition to salary concerns, the officers report persistent issues with travelling allowances, which form part of their terms and conditions of service.
They also have outstanding travel claims dating back six to nine months, with backpay on travelling benefits owed since 2014.
