By Abigail Headley
The GTU yesterday announced the collapse of talks with the Ministry of Education (MoE) while the latter accused the union of walking out again on the collective bargaining process.
Following four weeks of strike action which ended after court-appointed mediation, the way ahead yesterday was not immediately clear but the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is adamant that it will stay the course.
Talks stalemated over the years for negotiations – the union demanding 2019 to 2023 while the government is only prepared to consider 2024 onwards.
At a hurriedly called press conference yesterday morning, GTU President Mark Lyte expressed frustration with the MoE’s refusal to negotiate on salaries for the period of 2019-2023. The year 2019 marked the end of the last negotiated agreement.
According to Lyte, during yesterday’s negotiation meeting between the union and ministry, Permanent Secretary (PS) of the MoE Shannielle Hoosein-Outar, who was absent for the previous meeting on Thursday, showed up and announced that the MoE will not be negotiating salaries between 2019 and 2023.
Hoosein-Outar, who led the meeting as Chief Negotiator, reiterated the ministry’s position that any discussions on salary increases for the previous years would have financial implications and that the budget for 2024 does not have the fiscal space to accommodate retroactive payments.
Lyte noted that from the inception of the meetings, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain played the role of Chief Negotiator, but conceded this position to Hoosein-Outar when she showed up yesterday. No explanation was given by the MoE yesterday on why the PS was absent from the previous meeting.
“The first thing we noticed when we got into the room this morning [yesterday], was that there was an additional member on the side of the government in the form of the Permanent Secretary. Mind you, we made it very clear that the Permanent Secretary, being the Finance Officer for the Ministry of Education should have been in the room from the first day… and the Permanent Secretary indicated that the government will not negotiate as agreed on in the last minutes, from 2019… The CEO apologised for his misunderstanding… And also stated he was not aware that he was not the Chief Negotiator.
The Thursday talks as enshrined in the agreed minutes had ended with understanding that 2019 to 2023 salaries would be on the table. However, on Thursday night, Hussain reeled back in what was contained in the minutes and insisted that the government’s position remained that salary talks would relate to 2024 and onwards.
The MoE, through the PS, yesterday further requested the GTU to submit a proposal for a multiyear agreement starting in 2024.
“We find that the PS was very disrespectful in saying that we can go back to our members and put together a multi-year proposal for 2024 and beyond to suit the narrative of the government. At this juncture, the Guyana Teachers’ Union will be informing its members on the way forward and… we have decided that our members are going to utilise the means that is possible to show the administration that we will not be bullied in any negotiation or discussion,” Lyte said.
In its statement the MoE emphasized its willingness to continue dialogue with the GTU and highlighted the various initiatives and salary adjustments that have benefited teachers in previous years.
“Today’s meeting reached an impasse after the GTU indicated that they are only interested in discussing salaries, particularly between the period of 2019 – 2023 and nothing else.
“The GTU maintained its determination to only discuss salary matters in relation to the prior years and refused to address the other 25 matters which were identified by both the Ministry of Education and the Union for discussion. This resulted in the
representatives of the union abandoning the process and walking out of the meeting.
“It should be noted that during the prior years, teachers have benefited from salary increases, salary adjustments that reflect teachers’ qualifications and incorrect calculations of salaries. Additionally, there were initiatives which were rolled out to the benefit of teachers across the country and which added to their disposable income as well as their welfare”, the MoE said.
Expressing disappointment in the MoE’s refusal to address the teachers’ demands, citing the union’s commitment to ensuring fair compensation for educators, Lyte noted that the union is now considering their next steps, including a possible resumption of the strike and a legal challenge.
“We are going to take this matter back to the court for the court to adjudicate on the matter. We are at present in consultation with our lawyers, and we believe that reneging on the first position taken and the legitimacy of the signed agreement coming out of the first meeting (on Thursday) is placing this administration as one that we should not trust. It is very clear that the Ministry of Education and its principals believe that they can take the GTU for a ride. Our members stand solidly behind us in taking any decisive action we deem possible,” he said.
Both Lyte and McDonald urged teachers to remain resilient and optimistic, emphasizing the importance of fighting for fair compensation and a livable wage.
“To our teachers, thank you for being this resilient and that we will continue to have this fight because we are on the struggle, we are in a struggle for survival. I just want to quote from Maya Angelou who said, ‘You will face many defeats in life, but never allow yourself to be defeated’… Let’s hold fast. The silver lining is right out there. And together we will unite to champion this cause,” McDonald said.
When asked at the press conference yesterday if the union would be approaching the Ministry of Labour, via its Chief Labour Officer, Dhaneshwar Deonarine for conciliation, Lyte expressed distrust in the ministry.
“I don’t know if we can trust the Ministry of Labour, having that entertained. You would recall our first recourse, when there were no talks, was to go to the Chief Labour Officer who failed in his duty to bring the sides together. So, can we trust the Chief Labour Officer? And further, can we trust the Minister of Labour who is in public, on record as saying the strike is illegal?… So, I don’t know how the Ministry of Labour has any place in this matter [or] if we can ever trust them again”.
The talks yesterday had ensued following the end of a four-week strike after court-ordered mediation.
On February 29, Justice Sandil Kissoon ordered that mediation begin on March 1st with two senior counsel, Edward Luckhoo and Robin Stoby.
After two days of gruelling talks, the mediation produced results on the afternoon of March 4th – breaking a deadlock that was entering its 5th week. The teachers resumed work on March 6th and the first round of talks between the two sides was held on March 7th and resumed yesterday.
