By Bebi Oosman and Abigail Headley
With the teachers’ strike in its sixth day yesterday, positions hardened on both sides with the government vowing to deduct monies from those on the picket line and the GTU vowing to go court over the matter.
A public notice signed by the permanent secretaries of the ministries of education and local government said that they had received from the 11 education districts a list of teachers who have not reported for duty at their assigned schools and who have not received the necessary leave approval and/or permission during the school week ending February 9th 2024.
“This unauthorized absence constitutes a breach of their conditions of service and their statutory duties and attracts legal sanctions”, the notice said.
As a result, the ministries advised that the teachers will not be paid for the days on which they were absent without permission and this “will be reflected in the March 2024 salaries in accordance with the law”.
In a response released shortly after, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) said it was aware of the notice in circulation by the two ministries about teachers’ pay being docked.
“I assure you that the GTU will challenge this undemocratic decision of the government in the courts of Guyana. We have followed the requisite legal steps with adequate notification for this strike action”, the statement said.
It added: “Colleagues, let us not be intimidated by a group that believes Guy-ana belongs to them. The struggle continues. We will intensify the action in the coming days and weeks.”
Meanwhile, it is estimated that over 50% of teachers in Berbice continued to support the strike yesterday while others turned out back to school joining those who did not go on strike.
Teachers in New Amsterdam and Canje yesterday protested in front of the Regional Education Department located in New Amsterdam, voicing their issues and calling for collective bargaining between the union and the ministry of education.
The GTU on their Facebook page yesterday reminded teachers that as they stand united in this strike, “remember that every step forward is a stride toward a better future for all educators.”
Stating that the union stands firmly with them in advocating for the respect and recognition they rightfully deserve, they said that they stand for “Collective Bargaining: As a Union it is our constitutional right to bargain for our members. To deny us this is unconstitutional.”
Additionally, “fair compensation: Your hard work deserves fair compensation. We’re fighting to ensure that your dedication is recognized in your paycheck, improved working conditions: A conducive work environment is essential for effective teaching. By standing together, we’re pushing for improvements that benefit us all, educational quality: This strike is not just about us—it’s about the quality of education we provide. We’re advocating for a system that values both teachers and students.”
The union also sought to assure that they are committed to supporting the teachers throughout the journey. “Your voice matters, and together, we’ll navigate this path towards positive change, stay strong, stay united, every picket line, every shared story, and every voice raised in solidarity contributes to the collective strength of our movement. Your resilience inspires us all.”
Schools on the Corentyne, Canje and New Amsterdam were somewhat in a standstill mode as the teachers who turned up to work had to spread themselves to cover all of the students in attendance. Parents in the district also reported that they are keeping their children home for safety reasons as they continue to monitor the situation, stressing that they are concerned about the impact the days of learning lost will have on the children.
One teacher from within the Central Corentyne Area who asked not to be named said that she decided to turn out to work as she was concerned about her students who are preparing to sit in the National Grade Six Examinations in a few months’ time.
According to the teacher, while she saw the need to support her colleagues she could no longer hold out and have it affect her students, “All my (students) parents are concerned and they keep calling and texting me and we have revision and work to do. I wanted to strike with my colleagues but I don’t know how long this will go on for and I can’t just stay home and not be concerned about my students.”
Spiral
Karl Vanier, the head teacher of the Corentyne Secondary School, who is a part of the strike action told Stabroek News that he is standing in solidarity with his colleagues given that cost of living continues to “spiral out of control due to inflation and hence 6.5 is not reality, it’s way too low.”
Calling the strike, the “people’s strike”, he said, that they were requesting to strike for a “very long time”, however, the union had repeatedly asked them to “be patient.”
He said that now more than ever teachers want collective bargaining and “this is supposed to be a democratic country and based on what we are seeing that is not the case so we know we cannot stand by ourselves, united we stand and we will continue to stand.”
Meanwhile, the head teacher also touched on their being a need for “price control” around the country pointing out that he has been working since 1998, “and because increase in pay has been made a political issue in the sense that every time we get 2% or 5% or however much it is it has been in the public domain and we know we have very good business people but we have unethical business people too in the sense that as soon as get an increase we can’t really enjoy it because most things go up.”
Personally, he said, “there needs to be some price control mechanism which the government can put in place because even if we get 50% and all the businesses continue to raise their prices we will be back at square one.”
Vanier said that he was extremely saddened and surprised as to the way in which the government through the Ministry of Education is handling the matter, “the government is saying that they care about the children but I think there is great under reporting in the sense there are more teachers out on the road so that in itself should say to them that they ought to engage the teachers’ union and not just meet with a hundred head teachers as the president did and that in itself shows that they don’t respect us collectively as teachers.”
The head teacher and others who were present at the protest then called on President Irfaan Ali to consider their pleas.
Teachers’ reactions
Meanwhile, teachers’ reactions to the announcement that the salaries of strikers would be cut reflected a mixture of disgust and resilience as comments under the ministry’s Facebook post flooded in. Some even threatened to vote the current government out of power in the upcoming elections that are slated for next year.
“Y’all remember next year is election[s], teachers will never forget the government that ignore[d] their plea and cut their salaries… after this, there is no One Guyana,” one commenter, Shazim Mohamed, stated.
Another teacher by the name of Notoya McGarell challenged, “Do ya’ll worst! If we can’t stand up for us, nobody will”.
Yet another surmised, “The issue is they have to act tough or else the whole public sector will be striking for better salaries. That minimum salary ain’t working with the current state of the economy. Specifically, teachers have a lot more difficulties dealing with indisciplined and special needs learners. What will happen with the “One Guyana” when we don’t have experienced teachers?”
The ministry’s decision also saw outrage from some parents and regular citizens, who also voiced their opinions under the post.
“I will certainly remember this come 2025, even though my kids are affected as a citizen of this country I am more than outraged about the salaries paid to public servants in this country because we are struggling to make ends meet and these ministers could care less because they and their children/families are the only ones who can afford to live a comfortable life in this country. I support the teachers,” one by the name of Alexis Fernandes stated adamantly.
Others still, pointed to the fact that the same thing that the current government fought for when they were out of power is the same thing that they are currently fighting against. In 2018 the GTU and teachers took to the streets of Guyana to protest against the then a Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/Alliance for Change (AFC) government for better wages.
During that time, the current Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, and the current President Irfaan Ali joined the protest in solidarity with the teachers.
On Sunday afternoon, Ali in a video address to the nation, stated that the government needs not be pushed and promised that it is committed to the task of making teachers the primary beneficiaries of Guyana’s development and progress. This he noted would take time to achieve.
Further, the president specifically addressed the issue of teacher welfare, outlining a series of measures that have been implemented to support educators in the country. He noted the correction of salary scales for teachers, increased allowances for higher education qualifications, and the provision of scholarships and training opportunities. Additionally, he announced initiatives such as duty-free concessions and low-interest loans for teachers to own homes.
Of particular notice, Ali emphasised that trainee teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) are being paid while they study. In response to this statement which has been repeated by others in various sectors of the government in the past week, some CPCE teachers who have graduated lamented the fact that they have been forced to wait over five months for backdated salaries since being appointed.
One teacher in particular, Grace Hutson, in an emotional letter posted a few days ago on FB and addressed to Ali, Manickchand, and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo gave voice to the mistreatment of her and her 2021-2023 batch mates at the hand of the ministry. In her lament, Hutson outlined various issues they have faced, including being forced to change their status from pre-service to in-service, receiving a low salary despite having multiple qualifications and facing delays in receiving their pay.
“When I… was appointed March last year, I was given the status of TQM 111. Despite the fact that I had 11 CXC subjects including Math and English, CAPE subjects [in] both year [s] one and two, and a University Diploma in Communications, I was slated to be given a salary of $90 421 Gross. All of my peers were given the same salary regardless of our qualifications. [The] next issue was the fact that I had to undergo a rash transition of quitting my sources of income to get by and now work full time. Yet, I had to wait FIVE MONTHS to receive a back-dated salary after being appointed. Many nights I cried myself to sleep and got down on my knees praying that I would not get sick or end up in a situation where I needed to move out because I would have been dead and trapped,” she bemoaned.
The recently graduated teacher, who was the Best Graduating Pre-service Student among her batch mates, further expressed feelings of being discredited and dismissed and urged the leaders to listen to their concerns and recognize them as autonomous human beings. The letter closed with a plea for understanding and recognition.
Then, addressing Manickchand directly, Hutson said, “I’m not sure if you remember speaking to me on the stage after handing me the award for best graduating Pre-service secondary student. When you asked me why I remained pre-service I fumbled over my words because technically I was not, and I had flashbacks of the grueling 5 months I endured going to school Monday- Friday without a penny to my name. I welled up with tears since it was supposed to be a joyous occasion but instead, I was mentally plagued with images of tears on my pillow nightly”.
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 Ali who has engaged directly with teachers in what was seen as an attempt to undercut the GTU. On this note, the president in his statement on Sunday referenced his meeting with teachers for discussions last year. However, it should be noted that those who were present at the meeting that was held on the lawns of State House were mainly head teachers and other senior teachers, not teachers as a collective.
In light of the recent developments, teachers of Georgetown will be assembling outside the Ministry of Finance today to protest over wages.
