Teachers in Region Five will be paid their full salaries for the months of June, July and August even if they decide to travel outside of the country during that period.
This is according to the President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Mark Lyte, who told Stabroek News on Friday, that this decision was made at a meeting held between the union and representatives of the Ministry of Communities.
“It was agreed that no teacher’s salary will be withheld for any month. The [Regional Executive Officer] was instructed to write to the bank to have the sums released,” Lyte said, adding that those teachers who don’t return for the school year will not be paid from September, a provision which has always applied.
This decision renders void a directive given by Region Executive Officer (REO) Ovid Morrison that the salaries of those teachers leaving the jurisdiction during the vacation period should be withheld.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon had informed reporters last week that Morrision had told central government that his directive issued to the Regional Education Office had been informed by an existing regulation. Following this announcement the union, whose members had begun protesting the directive, demanded that Morrison provide the regulation by June 14. Morrison did not respond to the request.
However, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Vibert Welch has since told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that no such regulation exists within his ministry.
Lyte noted that at Friday’s meeting, the Ministry of Communities’ team led by Permanent Secretary Emil McGarrell and including Morrison failed to produce the requested regulation.
Stabroek News reached out to Morrison to request a copy of the regulation, but he responded that he would not be providing the document to the public only quoting what it said.
Asked to comment on Friday’s meeting, Morrison said it was his preference that the union speak on the matter.
Meanwhile the GTU has also demanded that Morrison retract a statement made to central government that he had been asked to explain an overpayment of about $80 million to teachers.
The actual overpayment according to the Attorney General’s 2015 report was $2.933 million for the period 2012-2015. Of that sum $2.156 million remain outstanding.
These overpayments, according to the report, occurred because of “untimely pay change directives forwarded for the resignation and dismissals to the Regional Accounting Unit,” even as the unit also made overpayments of deductions to several agencies including the National Insurance Scheme.
There is no indication in the report as to what percentage of these overpayments were made to teachers or any other regional member of staff.
“The [REO] claimed he did his own calculations but he cannot question the AG’s calculations. Is he saying that the AG’s report is not valid? We would like an apology and a retraction. Overpayments are overpayments but you cannot paint a false image of our teachers and allow it stand,” Lyte stressed.
He explained that McGarrell has indicated that his office will issue a statement correcting the misconceptions which have been made public.
