Hundreds of teachers from all across the country went on strike yesterday as their union threw down the gauntlet to the government over its failure to engage in free collective bargaining since August 2020.
As day one of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) strike came to a close, the union expressed satisfaction with the turnout. General Secretary Coretta McDonald also vowed that should there be deductions by the Ministry of Education (MoE) from the salaries of teachers who participated, corporate sponsors have pledged to reimburse them.
Meanwhile, in a statement last night, the MoE said that it is closely monitoring the “illegal” strike by the GTU. The statement further noted that the MoE accepts the opinion of the Ministry of Labour (MoL) that teachers who do not report for duty without a legitimate reason should not be paid. Further, for those parents whose children are being affected by the industrial action, the ministry has assured that they are providing educational content for students through various platforms.
“The Ministry of Education has accepted the opinion of the Ministry of Labour that it is illegal to pay teachers who do not report for duty without a legitimate reason. The Ministry of Education wishes to advise parents of those students who are most affected that provisions have been made to ensure your children are academically engaged via our learning platforms. Educational content across Grades and particularly for exam classes, is available on the Ministry of Education’s website, the Guyana Learning Channel (television and YouTube channel), and our recently launched app, EDPal as well as on the radio, EdYou FM. These are timetabled and schedules of topics and times are published on the individual pages”, the ministry said.
This is the most serious strike that the government has faced since it took office in August 2020 and will be seen as a personal blow to President Irfaan Ali who has engaged directly with teachers in what was seen as an attempt to undercut the GTU.
During an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, McDonald noted that though in some areas there wasn’t a large turnout, teachers were still on strike but remained at home.
“If you were to check the schools, you would see how many teachers were in those schools,” the General Secretary stated.
“We are heartened by the support we got today from our teachers. Our teachers have rubbished the calls coming from the ministry that our strike is political. Our teachers know exactly what they’ve been going through. And so after being patient for four years, the teachers have decided we can’t wait any longer. As a matter of fact, this action has been the last of the straws”.
McDonald also noted that even the teachers on the Essequibo coast turned out to protest despite the presence of Minister of Education Priya Manickchand. The Minister was at the time visiting schools in the region to participate in the distribution of Schools Cash Grants.
McDonald’s satisfaction in the turnout of teachers to the strike and protest was however countered by the MoE’s statement.
Statistical analysis
“The Ministry of Education has noted, through its statistical analysis, that most teachers turned out for work today. The MoE wishes to express its deepest gratitude to all those teachers who reported for duty and delivered lessons to their students today,” the statement read. Photos were posted of teachers at various schools administering classes.
But the strike was evident in photos and video posts made by individuals, in real time, on both Facebook (FB) and WhatsApp, and even as this newspaper ventured out to the MoE Brickdam and to schools in Georgetown, the East Coast, and the East Bank of Demerara.
Whilst in the midst of the approximately 300 teachers protesting in front of the ministry’s Brickdam office yesterday, McDonald explained to the media that teachers are currently receiving $8000 for uniform allowance while learners are receiving $45,000 in total for uniforms and school supplies and the government sees nothing wrong with that. She added that striking and protesting have been the last resort for teachers and the union because talks have failed ever since the year 2020.
McDonald also recollected that the government was asked to speak to the teacher’s union, but to avoid doing such, the government selected 100 teachers for a discussion with the President at State House. The General Secretary declared that the GTU is the only recognized organization within the country to speak on behalf of teachers.
“They can’t talk to us (but) they have been talking to GAWU and the sexist part of this is Coretta McDonald, Member of Parliament (MP) of the opposition, while you have my colleague Seepaul Narine, who is president of Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), and he is a sitting MP of the Government but nobody sees anything wrong with that”, she thundered.
McDonald further refuted claims about the strike being political and noted that she is being paid as a teacher and not as MP. In addition, McDonald said disciplinary actions intended to be taken against teachers who supported the strike will not be a first time occurrence. Fortunately, she noted, if actions are undertaken by the MoE to deduct monies from their salaries, these teachers will be reimbursed.
“If they decide that they are going to deduct monies from our teachers’ salaries then let me say to them that’s good news for us because corporate sponsors out there have already pledged that they will reimburse our teachers,” she stated.
McDonald further dared, “So go ahead [and] deduct our teachers’ monies. But you know what you will be doing there, you will be instilling more radicalism into the teachers across this country. If you don’t want our teachers to withhold their services, talk to their union. We submitted a proposal since 2020, this is 2024”.
She pointed out that in 2018, when the union struck against the coalition, monies were not deducted from teachers’ salaries. This was despite the fact that teachers were on the streets for more than nine days, back then.
The protest on Brickdam which started at about 9:30 am, began with a small group of teachers. As time progressed, the numbers increased significantly as teachers came out in their numbers from nursery to secondary schools across Georgetown to support the nationwide strike. Due to the industrial action, several schools across the country were without teachers and in some cases, schools were closed.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF), moments before the protest began stated that it had received calls relative to the planned teachers strike action, indicating that persons are being intimidated and threatened. The GPF noted that the reports were taken seriously and the alleged threats would’ve been investigated. As a result, there was a high police presence on the scene at Brickdam, and a mobile patrol monitored the peaceful protest.
The MoE also urged teachers and parents/guardians to report threats and intimidation associated with the “Illegal Guyana Teachers Union Strike”. Further, the MoE said they were advised that some schools had been locked up by the head teachers and that numerous teachers were denied entry.
According to the notice, which was posted on the Ministry of Education Facebook (FB) page, the closing of a school is the responsibility of the Chief Education Officer and not a head teacher or a representative of the GTU. The statement further warned that head teachers who were found to have breached these rules will be held accountable and would be recommended to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC)/School Boards Secretariat for disciplinary action.
“The MoE is also appalled at the illegal locking of schools by head teachers and the barring of students and teachers from entering some school buildings. The MoE has noted these complaints and will institute disciplinary action against anyone found culpable,” the ministry’s statement said last night.
Commenting on statements made by the MoE and GPF of the alleged threats, GTU Head, Mark Lyte said, “We have not threatened anyone. All we saying is that teachers are expected to come out and support.”
Lyte added that teachers were mobilized from all the regions across Guyana as the union decentralized the approach for the strike. He also noted that the union has been imploring the MoE and, by extension, the Government of Guyana to address teachers’ concerns.
The union president added that while it is a difficult time where the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Education (CAPE), and National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) preparations are ongoing and School Based Assessment (SBAs) are being done, “good sense” should prevail because the children will be affected due to the government’s unwillingness to address the needs and concerns of teachers. Lyte further clarified that the main issue is the absence of collective bargaining where the government is not meeting with the union to decide on salary increases.
“Our presence out here is because our teachers are affected with the high cost of living and because they are not able to make ends meet. They are unable to take care of their children. The fathers are unable to take care of their wives and so we have our teachers gathered here. We are out here because we are dissatisfied. When the government through the Ministry of Education decide for us to speak formally, we are ready,” he stated.
Teachers speak up
Everton Stephen, a Graduate Head of Department (HOD) of Business Studies attached to the Kingston Secondary School told Stabroek News that the strike is an essential fight for the rights of teachers and in his opinion teachers have been neglected for a long period and by extension not remunerated sufficiently.
“Teachers are the ones who create all other professions and we are wondering why it is difficult for the government to sit down and talk with our union,” he said.
Another teacher, Sharon Callison, who has been in the profession for 38 plus years told reporters, “I have never been on a strike. It’s painful when I have to strike. [However] we are being treated as if we are less than animals for the basic things the Ministry of Education can do for teachers. We don’t even have proper seats in the schools. We are hearing about the cash grants, the disrespect that the cash grants have created for teachers. We are hearing that we are thieves and we are putting the change in our pockets and that if teachers have 30 children, we are having $130,000. All of this is far from the truth. It’s painful when we have to resort to this”, she said.
Callison added that while it is painful to resort to these actions and the children of the nation are affected, parents should be supportive since children too are affected by what is affecting teachers.
“Nobody knows what teachers go through, nobody knows how we get to school on many days. Many days we are standing on the road for transportation and then being squeezed in buses and reaching to work late and the ministry will use that against teachers. How are we going to live like this? Come and see how some of our teachers are living. We are humans, just like how the parents are feeling, we are feeling. Many of us don’t have a house yet or a vehicle from this profession,” she lamented.
Callison further explained that many days students would turn to their teacher when then they are without a meal and teachers are then forced to use their personal monies to assist. Some teachers have graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), she noted, and they are yet to be upgraded. Teachers are also forced to take a second job to survive.
The teacher added that the grants that are to be distributed are monitored and quotations have to be provided at the end of every purchase. In doing so teachers have to properly manage the funds given to ensure the items provided are only needs and not wants.
“Many of us have to do many odd jobs and rushing to see when GECOM has a job or rushing when Bureau of Statistics has enumeration. Why? This is because we are not satisfied and our money can hardly take us through. That’s why we are living on loans and we are running to Credit Union, bank and Courts loans and all these things just to survive”, she said.
Callison further stated, “I want somebody from the Ministry of Education to live on the salary we are living on. Let them come and put their feet in our shoes, and feel what we are feeling. We are not asking for a million dollars per month, we are asking for what is due to us. We are not political, listen to the plight of your teachers. I’m not a political person but to say that you’re political to stand up for your right is so wrong, it bullyism”.
Meanwhile, Asanti Washington an instructor at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), who was also present at the protest, noted that “there are teenagers who are working for over $100,000 and the person who is teaching them is working for less than $100,000 and that’s unfair”.
Another teacher, Leon Bishop, a Graduate HOD who is attached to the West Ruimveldt Secondary School explained that he stands in solidarity with the strike because the time has come for the union to represent its members. A disgruntled Bishop added that it is unfair for the government to take the senior teachers to the highest on the scale and leave the junior teachers with nothing.
“What are you saying? Those junior teachers are not important? Everyone should be moved to the highest on the scale and also should be given a better wage so that we can be comfortable. Come on Mr. President, I know you can do better. We should be able to at least get a duty-free concession after three years in the profession. Waiting 10-15 years for a duty-free concession, that’s bad,” Bishop said.
Chants
As teachers from across the nation took to the streets to protest, some took it upon themselves to record videos of the attendees as well as the chants/songs that were shouted. Some of the chants went as follows:
In Linden,
“The thief call teachers thief, we need apology!”
“Teachers walking, Ministry driving, duty-free for all!”
“Teachers can’t pay rent with 6.5%!”
“Teachers can’t pay Courts, 6.5 is a joke!”
“When Ali wasn’t president, he knew what teachers must get. But now he turn the president, it seems like he forget!”
In Region Two,
“Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong”
“Slippers on di ground, we nah back down!”
“6.5 can’t work!”
“Run Priya run, di teacha ah come!”
The industrial action is expected to continue for 10 days, and the union is hoping that the Ministry will, within this period, arrange for a meeting to have discussions on the issues at hand.
“We will continue tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and if the government doesn’t budge then we will continue,” McDonald told Stabroek News.
