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The government’s decision to grant public servants a ten per cent pay increase on the eve of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) elections on October 14 may have sealed the fate of outgoing president Martin Lum Kin.

His successor, Crystal Bevin Ashe, cautiously suggested that Lum Kin’s acceptance of a five per cent wage offer from the former administration on the eve of the April 28 general election — “among other issues” — may have contributed to his defeat in Tuesday’s vote.

“I don’t want to comment too much on that, but we are going to do things a little differently,” Ashe told Newsday. “The main thing is that the membership wants to be communicated with, and you can’t vex with them for that. Anybody you are representing — if you are making decisions on their behalf — they should be kept in the loop, they should be informed,” he said, alluding to a lack of consultation over the wage agreement.