After months of persistent advocacy and collective pressure from educators across Trinidad and Tobago, the long-outstanding backpay owed to teachers for the 2020–2023 period has finally landed in members’ accounts, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) confirmed in an official statement released Saturday.
Notably, TTUTA notes that it has not received formal notification of the disbursement from either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Education. However, direct reports from hundreds of union members, alongside visible postings of the payments on the IHIRIS portal— the government-run online platform that allows public sector employees across multiple ministries to preview their payslips before deposit—have confirmed the arrears have been issued.
In its statement, the union framed the disbursement as a hard-won victory for its membership, crediting months of coordinated solidarity, public advocacy and unified action for forcing the government’s hand. “This development is an important outcome/victory and is evident of the persistent advocacy undertaken by TTUTA on behalf of its membership,” the release read.
The timeline of the payment itself marks a shift from the government’s earlier commitment: during the June 2026 Mid Year Budget Review, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo publicly stated that the outstanding backpay would only be disbursed during the 2027 fiscal year. The early disbursement, TTUTA emphasized, is a direct result of unrelenting pressure from both the union leadership and rank-and-file teachers. “The fact that payments are now being made at the end of this fiscal year (2026) is a direct reflection of the continued advocacy and pressure brought to bear on both the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education by TTUTA and, most importantly, by the membership,” the statement added. “This is your victory.”
TTUTA used the milestone to reinforce the power of collective action among educators, noting that when teaching professionals stand united in demanding what they are legally owed, their demands cannot be sidelined by government bodies. The union also extended gratitude to both members and non-member teachers for their patience, public engagement and ongoing support throughout the months-long campaign, noting that shared solidarity strengthened the union’s negotiating position and underscored the value of collective action in advancing fair treatment for education workers.
Looking ahead, TTUTA made clear that its advocacy work is far from over. The union will continue pressing the government to address three key unmet priorities for educators: improving school infrastructure and campus safety, securing renewed contracts for Business Operations Assistants (BOAs), and reinstating the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support educator mental health and well-being. The union closed its statement by reaffirming its commitment to holding the government accountable for all outstanding commitments to education workers, saying it would remain vigilant to ensure all promised improvements and payments are honored.
The news of the backpay disbursement has drawn praise from another key education stakeholder: Walter Stewart, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA), welcomed the development, noting that teachers have waited years to receive funds they rightfully earned and were legally entitled to. Stewart added that the NPTA recognizes the significant financial relief this payment will bring to thousands of educator households across the country, and commended the government and Ministry of Education for finally moving to resolve the long-running outstanding issue.
For their part, government officials have not yet issued a full public comment on the disbursement. Finance Minister Tancoo told reporters he would deliver a formal statement on the backpay and other related matters during a parliamentary session scheduled for Wednesday. As of Sunday, attempts by media to reach Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath for comment were unsuccessful.
The resolution of the backpay issue comes after months of rising tension between the union and the government. Back in June 2026, TTUTA held a public news conference demanding the government explain what had happened to the $900 million allocated for teacher backpay in the 2025 national budget. At that time, the union rejected Tancoo’s promise that funding for backpay and other outstanding obligations to public sector unions (including nurse associations) would be set aside in the 2027 national budget, accusing the Ministry of Finance of “moving the goalpost” on its long-held commitments to educators.
The roots of the dispute stretch back to April 2025, when TTUTA accepted a 5% salary adjustment offer from Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial for the 2020–2023 period. The offer structured the increase as 1% in 2021, 1% in 2022, and 3% in 2023, closing the existing salary gap by 18.2% while also consolidating the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and improving other working terms for teaching service members. Under the original agreement, teachers were promised their adjusted salaries and full backpay by the end of January 2026. When the deadline passed, only the base 5% salary increase appeared in teachers’ bank accounts in March 2026, leaving the full backpay arrears outstanding for an additional eight months.