Some teachers in Trinidad and Tobago have begun receiving long-delayed back pay for the 2020–2023 period, marking a major development in a labour dispute that has kept the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) at odds with the Government for more than a year.
TTUTA said on Saturday, September 12, 2026, that members had reported seeing their outstanding payments reflected on the government’s IHIRIS online payroll platform, which allows public officers to view their payslips.
The reports concern a TT$900 million allocation intended to cover teachers’ outstanding arrears.
However, TTUTA president Crystal Ashe said the union had received no formal notification from either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Education confirming that payments had begun.
The latest development follows months of uncertainty over when teachers would receive money they had been expecting since 2025.
The dispute dates back to an agreement covering salary increases and arrears for the period 2020 to 2023. In December 2025, TTUTA had said approximately 14,000 teachers were expected to receive their back pay and a five per cent salary increase by the end of January 2026.
That deadline passed without the anticipated payments.
TTUTA later said teachers had also been told to expect payments beginning in July 2025, but July passed without disbursement. December and January also passed without the promised payments, according to Ashe.
The issue intensified in June 2026, when TTUTA publicly demanded answers about the $900 million and warned of possible industrial action after the Government indicated that payment could be delayed until fiscal 2027.
The $900 million had been earmarked and approved in the 2025 national budget, but the allocation was subsequently removed from revised estimates during the Mid-Year Budget Review, creating uncertainty about when the money would actually reach teachers.
As recently as Monday, September 7, Ashe said TTUTA was still seeking a definitive payment date. The union had written to Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, Education Minister Michael Dowlath and Chief Personnel Officer Daryl Dindial seeking clarification.
According to Ashe, Dindial subsequently contacted him and said arrangements were being made for payment during September.
Ashe said he remained cautious because previous assurances had not resulted in payments.
The reports from teachers on Saturday now suggest that the process has finally begun.
TTUTA said the appearance of payments on IHIRIS at the end of fiscal 2026 represents a significant development and credited sustained pressure from the union and its membership.
The Government, however, has not yet formally confirmed the payments. Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo told Guardian Media that he would make a statement on the matter and other issues in Parliament on Wednesday, September 16. A senior Education Ministry source said officials had been working overtime, including on weekends, over the past several weeks.
The dispute has consequences beyond the teachers’ pay packets.
TTUTA continues to press the Government over other issues affecting educators, including school infrastructure and safety, the renewal of contracts for Business Operations Assistants and the reinstatement of the Employee Assistance Programme.
For teachers who have waited through multiple missed deadlines, the appearance of back pay on their payslips represents the first tangible sign that the long-running dispute may finally be moving toward resolution.
But until the Government formally confirms the payments and all teachers receive the amounts owed, TTUTA is expected to continue pressing for clarity and accountability.
