The University of Guyana (UG) Council has said that it has been left with no option but to support a call by Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith for the impasse between the university administration and the workers’ union to be referred to the Labour Ministry for conciliation, according to Pro-Chancellor and Council Chairman Major General (ret’d) Joseph Singh.
The announcement was made in a statement that was issued yesterday in response to concerns by the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union (UGWU) about the Council’s handling of their issues, which include a call for a forensic audit of the university so that they could verify the administration’s claims that unilaterally-imposed salary increases were all that it could afford. The unions have rejected the increases, which were imposed last year.
The unions, in a joint statement on Tuesday, bemoaned that the Council did not make any decisions on matters relating to workers during the meeting, where it says their concerns were relegated to the bottom of the agenda.