Dear Editor,
Much has been said about the new salary agreement signed between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers Union. On the one hand the GTU president is saying that it is a giant leap forward and on the other hand some trade union leaders and at least one commentator see it as a leap backward. I am not convinced that enough is being done to communicate to teachers, who are the beneficiaries/victims of this agreement. There has been no review of the past agreement or comparison done with the present agreement. The fact is, what seems to have been said about the contents of the agreement appears to be in conflict with what is written in it. Below I set out the main points of the agreement along with the 2006-2010 one, so that teachers can compare the two.
Agreement 2006-2010
1. SALARY ISSUES
1.1 The 7% across the board award was a full and final payment for the year 2005.
1.2 An across the board increase in salary of five per cent per annum to be granted to all categories of teacher for the years 2006-2010 with a review after the end of the third year…
1.3 An additional performance-based incentive of one per cent per annum of the total wage bill will be paid to eligible teachers…
1.4 The issue of debunching to be further discussed between the Ministry of Education and the GTU…
1.5 The Ministry of Education and the GTU will jointly approach International Financial Institutions with proposals seeking grants, etc, aimed at improving teachers’ salaries…
2. NON SALARY ISSUES
2.1 Increased monthly remuneration for teachers who have improved their qualifications as follows: (a) Certificate in Education – $3000; (b) Diploma in Education – $5000; (c) Masters Degree – $8000; (d) Doctorate – $25,000.
2.2 All teachers will be provided with an annual clothing allowance of $6000…
2.3 Duty-free concessions for motor cars up to 1800cc will be granted to 100 head teachers annually providing that the head teacher would have served at least three years as head and would have at least five years service remaining before retirement. This is a one-off concession. In appropriate cases head teachers will be granted duty-free concessions on outboard engines up to 25HP…
2.4 A Housing Revolving Fund will be set up with $40M per year for each of the five years… to facilitate the construction of houses for teachers…
2.5 Teachers who have left their residence on the coastland to serve in the hinterland will be granted one return airfare/bus fare… at the end of each school term to be reunited with their families.
2.6 Whitley Council leave allowance will be paid by April each year to eligible teachers…
2.7 Twenty-five scholarships per year… will be granted to teachers tenable at the University of Guyana…
2.8 The Ministry of Education and the GTU will meet by the end of 2006 to review the ratio of students per teacher in classrooms.
2.9 The Ministry of Education and the GTU will set up a joint committee to review the performance of school boards and make necessary recommendations…
Agreement 2011-2015
1. SALARY ISSUES
1.1 An across-the- board increase in salary of five per cent per annum to be granted to all categories of teacher…
(2) NON-SALARY BENEFITS
(b) The Ministry of Housing will be engaged to consider the granting of 100 house lots to teachers using a regional quota on a case by case basis determined by an assessment of greatest need and availability of house lots for distribution.
1.2 An equivalent of approximately one per cent of the teachers’ wage bill will be used to implement the debunching exercise by the end of May, 2011.
1.3 Increased monthly remuneration for teachers who have improved their qualifications as follows: (a) Certificate in Education – $4000; (b) Diploma in Education – $6000; (c) Masters -$10,000; (d) Doctorate – $30, 000.
2.1 All teachers will be provided with an annual clothing allowance of $8000 per annum.
2.2 Over the life of the agreement, 100 duty- free concessions for motor-cars to 1800cc. All terrain vehicles (ATVs) and outboard engines up to 75 HP will be granted annually to all eligible Head teachers as well as Deputy Head teachers of Grade A schools, providing that the Head teachers and Deputy Head teachers who will qualify would have at least three years service in their positions and would have at least five years service remaining before retirement. This is a one off concession. This issue will be reviewed after one year with a view to considering the possible inclusion of other categories for this concession.
2.3 (a) A Housing Revolving Fund will continue to receive $40M per year… to facilitate the construction of houses for teachers…
2.4 (a) Teachers who have left their residence on the “coastland” to serve in the hinterland will be granted at the end of each school term return air fare/bus fare… for self, spouse and a maximum of two children under the age of 18 years.
(b) A 50% increase on station and hardlying allowances will be paid to all eligible teachers…
2.5 Whitley Council leave allowance will be payable to eligible teachers…
2.6 Thirty scholarships per year tenable at the University of Guyana will be granted to teachers…
2.7 The Ministry of Education and the GTU will meet before the end of May 2011 to review the ratio of students to teachers in the classroom.
2.8 The Ministry of Education and the GTU will set up a joint committee to review the performance of school boards and to make necessary recommendations to the Minister of Education by June 30, 2011.
Under the new agreement the union lost the $5M a year subvention which we were told would be used for education and training and the 1% performance-based incentive. This agreement says nothing about approaching the IFIs with a proposal to seek grants, etc, to improve teachers’ salaries and conditions of work. No proposal was ever done.
In defending the 5% Mr Bynoe pointed to the austerity measures being implemented in England and France. He did not state however that the National Union of Teachers in the UK is not taking some of the measures recommended by the government lying down, especially where their pensions are concerned. The General Secretary of the NUT is reported to have said that the NUT will ballot members for strike action in the summer term, to help get a fair deal for teachers.
Following the 2006-2010 agreement, the issue of debunching, the ratio of students to teachers, the revolving housing loan fund and the review of the school boards seem not to have been addressed. We were not told if any work was done on these issues and after five years where things stand. The performance based incentive was a good thing and it appears that we may have given that up.
Mr Christopher Ram sees the 5% increase as a wage freeze and states in his column that the average rate of inflation for the last five years was 6.5% and when I listen to Mr Bynoe’s arguments I am reminded of the saying that when ideas fail, words come in handy.
Yours faithfully,
Milne Seymour