A statement from the State government reads in part;

"At no point did the Chief of Staff, Government House, or any government official, ask the workers to go on strike.

"Rather, we sought to persuade CUTI not to embark on strike on the grounds that it is unlikely to solve the salary issue which has been caused by financial challenges facing the State and others across the country.

"Embarking on strike by the institutions might affect their student numbers and consequently their ability to generate revenue to meet their salary obligations".

Alternative sources

The government, therefore urged CUTI to work with their management to identify alternative sources of revenue to be able to supplement government subvention to pay salaries.

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"Members of the public are thereby implored to ignore the claims by CUTI as the State government has already paid the 2017 fourth quarter allocation to the institutions and is preparing to pay the 2018 first quarter allocation", the statement adds.

The government also promised to continue to support the institutions to enable them meet their commitments.