News Releases

Negotiations being finalised between UWI, WIGUT and OWTU

For Release Upon Receipt - November 23, 2010

St. Augustine


Following a second meeting on Monday 15th November involving the Principal of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Clement Sankat, his senior advisers and the Minister of Finance, Winston Dookeran, and the Chief Personnel Officer, Stephanie Lewis, a presentation was made to the two bargaining units of the campus, WIGUT and OWTU.

Professor Sankat and a team of senior management officials met separately on Wednesday November 17 with WIGUT and OWTU members to outline the new remits they had been given by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for The University to consider.

At these meetings the concerns of staff and students were again raised as there was a consensus that these negotiations should now be brought to a rapid conclusion.

Professor Sankat again emphasized that the campus administration could only put on the table remits that were approved by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

“We are as anxious as the unions and the students are to have campus life resume without further disruption,” said Professor Sankat. “Now that new offers have been made, we eagerly await the response of both our bargaining units, as I am sure they too see it as a step in the right direction.”

WIGUT, the union representing academics, has advised that it will no longer withhold examination papers and Professor Sankat expressed his gratitude for this act of care.

“I have noted this gesture with considerable satisfaction and am indeed grateful to WIGUT, for agreeing to ensure that procedures as they relate to our students are not affected,” he said.

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

 

About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

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