-another meeting set for today
As a delegation from the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) attended a conciliation meeting with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Labour Ministry yesterday, teachers around Guyana took to the streets to resume strike action in the form of protests.
In Georgetown, approximately 100 teachers gathered to protest outside the Ministry of Labour’s Brickdam office, as the Union sought to reach an agreement with the MoE on the proposed years for salary talks. As was the case during their one-month-long February protest, the teachers, armed with placards, utilized their voices in chant.
Some of the chants included:
“Broke teacher, broke nation,” “Slippers on the ground and we not backing down,” “Pay today, bruk today,” “We don’t want no petty cash from we oil stash,” “This is not political, this is economical,” “Boss I’m not coming to work today, nothing wrong with my eyes, something wrong with the 6.5.”
The protest, which was monitored by ranks of the Guyana Police Force lasted for about two hours.
Meanwhile, the conciliation meeting was inconclusive, as the parties could not come to an agreement during their discussions. When the meeting was adjourned late yesterday afternoon, President of the GTU Mark Lyte, in briefing the media, noted that the union has not signed off on the agreement as some issues still need to be resolved.
The main issue, Lyte pointed out, remains the proposal, which involves a disagreement over the timeline for resumption. The union, he said, wants to revisit the document with some new options to see if an agreement can be reached.
“So, there are a couple of other options that we have taken with regards to how the resumption should go and there’s one that is outstanding as to the consideration for the period, so we have not had an agreement on it… The process today with the meeting with the Chief Labour Officer had to do with what the ministry considered to be a deadlock between the two sides as to the years for consideration. And we left the meeting, not having a full agreement on that particular issue,” he said.
The GTU head further said that before signing anything with the MoE, the union would like to ensure that any agreement with them does not harm its members. As it is, there are two options to choose from, and both parties will return today to finalise the agreement.
“I think it’s just a matter of rephrasing one of the main points that we wanted to see addressed. And if you rephrase something, you have to be careful how it’s documented and what it should read like, before you agree. So as a union, we want to be responsible. We want to ensure that there is enough consultation[and] that whatever we decide to agree on with the ministry, that it won’t be injurious to our members. So, we have a few options… that we can choose from, and both parties will return… hopefully… being ready to sign…,” Lyte stated.
Scores of teachers in Region Two yesterday took to the Anna Regina High Bridge to join the renewed strike action. Teachers held placards that read “Value teachers, unlock students potential”, “A good teacher is priceless”, “Teachers make a difference collective bargaining is it”, and “We need a liveable salary”.
Representative of the GTU and Senior Master, Takurdeen Durga, said that teachers in Region Two will continue to support the GTU and that the teachers are demanding collective bargaining as well as calling on the Government of Guyana to sit and talk with the union. “We are currently looking for us to be engaged as a union, for us to have collective bargaining, and we can iron out the situation and go back to school… why have the children suffering?” Durga asked.
He went on to state that the cost of living in Guyana keeps rising while teachers’ salaries are not increasing. He said that the salary teachers are working for is meagre and cannot compensate for the work they do. Teachers have mortgages and loans to pay, he continued, and many times have to seek jobs outside of their profession to make ends meet. During the protest, the teachers were singing songs on the rising cost of living in Guyana.
Teachers who were interviewed by the Stabroek News contended that prices for basic items at the shop keep increasing daily and although they are educating the nation, they are not experiencing increases in their salaries. Some teachers thought that the Government would have addressed increases in salary but instead are taking things for granted. “We enjoy teaching, but we can’t do it at our own expense, we need to be compensated for what we do, for the work we put in, for the children we are teaching… that’s what we need to do,” one teacher said.
The teachers said they will continue to strike until there is an increase in their salary or the union advises otherwise. They teachers, while on the Anna Regina High Bridge, were under constant police observation. Meals for the striking teachers were prepared on site at a makeshift kitchen. The striking teachers hailed from various schools on the Essequibo Coast.
Meanwhile, a handful of Berbice teachers yesterday took to the streets in front of the New Amsterdam Education Department calling for negotiations to be continued as it pertains to their union’s multi-year proposal.
On the protest line in New Amsterdam yesterday, Mehalai McAlmont, General Council Representative for the Guyana Teachers’ Union New Amsterdam Branch said that the strike and protest action are expected to continue throughout the week stressing that there are also planned activities for social media.
“We stand resolute; we must understand that the government is hearing us whether they are listening to us is a different thing… The government is only prepared to talk 2024, we have not submitted a multiyear proposal for 2024, we would have submitted it since 2019 to the previous administration, to this administration 2020, and we would like to have that discussion started.”
She said, “It’s negotiation so if you come and meet us half way we are willing to talk with you and that is GTU’s position at all times.”
McAlmont told the teachers gathered that they are not going to settle for “salary impositions.” She said, “We believe that it is disrespectful while a multi-year agreement is before you and you are imposing a 6.5% on us, that should never be.”
Late
Late on Sunday night, the MoE disclosed that it had written to the Ministry of Labour indicating that there had been a breakdown in negotiations with the GTU and seeking its intervention.
“Indicating that there has been a breakdown in negotiations between the ministry and the GTU regarding the question of which years the new multi-year agreement should address,” the release stated.
According to the Education Ministry, its request was made pursuant to the provisions of the 1990 Memorandum of Agreement which stipulates “the avoidance and settlement of disputes” between the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Teachers’ Union, and the Labour Act, Cap. 98:01, which permits the impasse regarding the timeframe to be referred to the Labour Minister for Conciliation.
Contrary to its lack of response to the GTU’s many correspondences seeking conciliation and arbitration prior to its decision to strike in March, the Labour Ministry quickly responded to the Education Ministry’s letter and extended an invitation for a meeting with the two parties.
In response to this invitation, Permanent Secretary of the GTU Coretta McDonald penned a letter to educators and posted on the union’s Facebook page late Sunday night, stating that the GTU would attend the meeting but the teachers’ strike would continue.
“This meeting will NOT derail us from our planned engagements scheduled for tomorrow. Therefore, we urge all of our members to follow the guidance given by the Union as we remain resolute relative to our salaries and non-salaries benefits,” the letter stated.
After the GTU’s announcement last Wednesday of the planned resumption of strike action the following two days, Permanent Secretary (PS) of the MoE Shanielle Hoosein-Outar wrote to the union, expressing shock at its decision.
“We are quite surprised at… the actions proposed. The Government of Guyana stands ready to continue engaging the Guyana Teachers’ Union on the Multi-Year Agreement from 2024 onwards,” the letter said.
Due to the tragic accident that occurred on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway yesterday that claimed the lives of two educators, teachers from Linden remained at home instead of protesting, in an act of mourning.
