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We asked the Minister of the Public Service - who is part of government's negotiating team - to give us a broad outline:

Henry Charles Usher, NEMO Minister:
"Sure, the seven points are what we discussed in the meeting that we had with the joint union team last week. Those were the proposals that were put on the table. And as promised, we took those proposals to the cabinet and the cabinet approved the proposals, as you see see from the seven point letter that was delivered to the unions yesterday. We are waiting to see their response. I believe that they had a meeting last night. And we're waiting to see their response to those proposals."

"Is that a concern for the government that I believe the teachers are now at 14 days? I want to say. I think, yes, they did issue a notice last week when this or a week has passed. No, I believe that that was all part of their, you know, they had said that they would have certain steps that they would take. They would have to sit down, they would be going to level two, level three. But we hope that we don't get to level three. We hope that with these proposals that these proposals are accepted, that the membership of the PSU, the membership of the NMTU and all of the broader teachers, public officers that they can see that these are reasonable proposals, these are proposals that are sustainable. These are proposals that I promote of a a level of discourse, a respectful, a level of discourse around the table. And as I always say, it's it's always better to talk to each other than at each other."

To outline what's in the letter, it includes signing the General CBA Framework by June 18, disbursing overdue transfer grants, and a $6 minimum wage after consultations. A 3% salary increase will take effect in October, with another increment in financial year 2026â€"27. Talks on the remaining 5.5% raise are ongoing.

We asked Usher about the raise:

Henry Charles Usher, NEMO Minister:
"No, it's a 3%, salary adjustment starting in October and then in April or the start of the next fiscal year, the, unfreezing of one of the increments that were frozen during the Covid time. So, remember that there were two increments that were frozen. The unfreezing of one of those will be done, or is being proposed to be done, at the next fiscal year, starting, of course, April 1st, 2026 and then the remaining, conversation has to do with the 5.5% since three, is is being done in October and the second increment. So that is where further discussion is needed. And of course, you have to look at the performance of the economy. You have to look at the ability to be able to implement those salary adjustments going forward. But the idea and what we discussed around the table is that it will be done in three in a three year time frame,"

"This could have all been avoided if Stuart Leslie nevah seh, I gwen get this 18%, CEOs will this 15%. If you could turn back time or put the toothpaste back in the tube, which we know we can't do, would you have counseled against more restraint in going ahead with that. I like how you put that brother Jules, hindsight is 20/20 and I'm not a Monday morning quarterback. I won't go back and say we should have done this or should have done that differently. But what I can say is that if it was as simple as the CEO salaries, then if the one item on the agenda when we met around the table we'll remove the salary increase of CEOs, and that should have brought us back to a level playing field. So certainly that was not the intention of government. When we met with the unions, we met with them because we wanted to have a sustainable way in terms of looking at the salaries in the public service, salaries to public officers and teachers."