In a bid to resolve the ongoing dispute over teachers’ salaries that has led to a nationwide strike, Justice Sandil Kissoon yesterday proposed a Court-appointed mediation process involving the Government and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU).
The GTU readily agreed to the proposed mediation process, which would have been scheduled for today. However, Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall SC requested 24 hours to confer with his superiors before deciding on the proposal, on behalf of the Government. The judge suggested Senior Counsel Edward Luckhoo as the mediator.
The matter is set to be revisited before Justice Kissoon at 3 pm today, during which both parties will propose two other potential mediators who can fill in for Luckhoo should he be unable or unavailable to take up the task.
It is envisioned that, once both parties agree to the mediation process, such a meeting will be held tomorrow. Should that become a reality it would be four weeks after the teachers took to the streets to press the government to meet with the union for better wages.
The proposal was made by the judge after he had summoned Chief Educa-tion Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain for contempt. (See other story on page 10,) During the hearing, Justice Kissoon expressed concern for the nation’s children and questioned why there had been no movement by either the government or the GTU, towards resolving the matter.
In response to this, Nandlall told the judge that he was asking the same of GTU President Mark Lyte last week. When he was outside the court, the AG also told reporters that he’d been informed by the CEO that the GTU was invited to have a meeting with the Ministry of Education (MoE) last Wednesday.
However, when questioned on this, Lyte denied there ever being such an invitation. He further encouraged reporters to seek documentary evidence from Nandlall since he was the one who made the statement.
“The AG should show us the correspondence that speak to us being invited and you are aware that everything that has come out we share with the public, because we don’t believe that anything should be kept in secret. So maybe the AG should be asked for the correspondence that spoke about us engaging. We are not aware of that,” Lyte said.
The GTU head further stated that no meetings, on any matter, have been going on between the ministry and the union. He also reiterated, both in and outside the courtroom yesterday, that the union has always been and remains open to having talks with the government as it relates to collective bargaining. Lyte further pointed to previous attempts to meet with the Ministry of Education that have gone unanswered.
“I think the judge, in good sense, is appealing to the government. GTU has already declared this position. So he’s appealing to the government to come on board, and we could have given a commitment on the spot that we are ready. The AG was unable to do that,” he said.
After the court proceedings yesterday, Counsel for the GTU, Darren Wade, expressed disappointment in the Government’s lack of immediate commitment to mediation. He also emphasized the importance of upholding justice and citizens’ confidence in the courts. In highlighting the government’s failure to meet with the union, Wade also cited the infringement of teachers’ rights to collective bargaining.
Meanwhile, Nandlall emphasized to reporters, the government’s commitment to fair and respectful engagement with workers, while also upholding the laws that protect both unions and employers. The AG also acknowledged the importance of communication and collaboration between the government and the GTU, to address any valid concerns and avoid unnecessary disputes.
Nandlall further assured that the government would comply with legal mandates and work towards finding a resolution. He also emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue and mutual understanding.
To date, the Chief Labour Officer of the Ministry of Labour, Dhaneshwar Deonarine has made no effort to bring the two sides together. Efforts by Stabroek News to elicit an explanation from him have failed.
