Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) President Mark Lyte said that the union will await responses from the Ministry of Education before taking next steps in the wake of the court ruling that the teachers’ strike in February, was legal.
Speaking on Facebook live yesterday, he said, “So these letters will be written concerning the arbitration and we will speak to the lawyers about the mitigation aspect of it because that will take another hearing. And also the court has ruled that the Ministry of Labour did not carry out its mandate… They neglected their duty to represent the people, to act as a mediator, as a neutralizer to bring the two sides together. They didn’t do that… We will keep you updated in terms of how we go forward.”
Lyte addressed the recent court ruling during the live video, pointing out that the union was in the right. He emphasized that the union’s leadership always followed the correct process and engaged in amicable resolution of matters. Highlighting the victory for education and teachers that the ruling represented, he stated that the administration must abide by the court’s decision.
Lyte told viewers that the GTU still had the options that had been earlier decided at its General Council open to it. Those options, which he had previously outlined, were arbitration, to return to industrial action and legal action, only this time it would be against the Ministry of Labour.
Nevertheless, he said, in order to decide on the next steps, the voices of the union members across Guyana need to be heard. As such, a virtual meeting is scheduled for this evening to discuss the options. The meeting will be held via both Zoom and Facebook live.
The decision to consult with members before moving forward was a strategic one, according to Lyte. “I want to hear, the executives want to hear from your voices. So we’ll give you a chance to speak and for the world to hear what you think should be our next step,” he stated.
Additionally, Lyte also discussed various issues affecting educators, including delays in salary upgrades and payments for acting roles. He criticized the slow processing of documents and called for departments to improve their efficiency. He also raised concerns about non-teaching professionals invading schools and issuing instructions to teachers, emphasizing that only those appointed by the Teaching Service Commission have the legal authority to do so.
Furthermore, Lyte urged educators to familiarize themselves with relevant policies and laws governing education to speak from a place of authority. He also expressed his personal view on educators entering politics, stating that they should not do so while holding union positions to maintain neutrality.
In addressing the state’s plan to appeal the matter, Lyte said, “We believe that it will be a criminal act… to want to fight this decision of the court. It will be a criminal act against the educators of this country… We believe that any step taken by the administration to challenge this decision will be a retrogressive one. Retrogressive and barbaric. It will be an act against the people of this country…”
