-as strike continues
The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) will once again meet with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Labour (MoL), come Monday, to discuss the ongoing teachers’ strike. The union’s president, Mark Lyte, made the announcement during a Facebook Live video yesterday.
According to Lyte, the union took the initiative to reach out to the Labour Minis-try and was invited by the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Dhaneshwar Deonarine, to have a talk.
“We haven’t had any formal correspondence… until yesterday from the Ministry of Labour… We haven’t had any formal indication from the Ministry of Education other than some public statements to the media that they are open and willing to talk after what the union has said. Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to arrive at the consensus on the way forward. So as your President, I took the liberty yesterday to reach out to the Chief Labour Officer as a responsible union leader, or the responsible Guyanese, as a responsible educator, to reach. And the Chief Labour Officer is not within the jurisdiction… he indicated that the meeting would have been facilitated this week… The option was for us to have an in person meeting with both sides… So we’ve had a correspondence coming from the Chief Labour Officer… [and] the meeting will be convened on Monday the 10th of June,” Lyte told those who were tuned into the Live.
The GTU has been on strike for a total of nearly nine weeks, demanding better working conditions and a livable salary for teachers. The union has accused the Ministry of Education of not being willing to negotiate in good faith and has said that the strike will only end when favourable terms of resumption are agreed upon.
During the Live, Lyte emphasized that the union is committed to dialogue and is willing to work with the government to find a solution. However, he also warned that the strike will continue unless the terms of resumption are satisfactory to the union.
“But the strike continues because until the favourable terms of resumption are inked, the strike continues and I want everybody to know that the strike has not been called off. The strike continues until we have favourable terms of resumption that will pave the way for conciliation. And if conciliation fails thereafter it is for us to initiate the process of arbitration. So, as it is, there could be no forward movement to the process, unless the terms of resumption are satisfactory to us. And we want the government to understand that we are serious about teachers’ needs. We come not as a political party we come as educators of this nation and we come on the interests of the educators,” he emphasized.
During the previous conciliation meetings with the two ministries, the union demanded a 20% across-the-board increase for all teachers before the resumption of duties could take place. However, the Ministry is adamant that before any serious talks could take place, teachers need to return to work, as per the 1990 Memorandum of Agreement.
“The fact that it took GTU to reach out is an indication that maybe the other side is not prepared to compromise. GTU has done a lot of compromising, and many of you have said it; we have done a lot of compromising. But we are not going to compromise… our position remains that our teachers must be given a safety net because in the previous times negotiations were not done in good faith,” Lyte charged yesterday.
During his Live discourse, the union head once more made an appeal to those teachers who opted out of the strike, stating that the industrial action is for the benefit of all teachers, including them. He further noted that these teachers are not acting fairly by showing up to their places of work instead of joining the union in solidarity.
“We are in this battle for the benefit of every single teacher… And I want to appeal to the members; those teachers who have run to school and are talking about ‘fair’. I am saying to you [that] you are not operating in a fair manner to those who are standing, because we are standing for you while you are showing no solidarity. Please, this is a bread and butter matter… Those who are going to collect and did not stand in solidarity with the union should be ashamed of themselves. But I’m not here to castigate anybody. I’m here to say that this strike continues,” he said.
As the strike continues, the GTU has been engaging in various activities, including prayer meetings and other meetings to discuss various issues that teachers have been encountering, as well as to keep its members informed and engaged. The union has also been reaching out to other organizations and stakeholders to build support for its cause.
The meeting on June 10 will be held at 10:00 am at the Ministry of Labour and will be attended by both sides. As was the case in the past, the Labour Ministry will be the mediator.
