Dear Editor,
Officials from the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) are to meet tomorrow. It’s a start; restart, more accurate. It has been starting, stalemate, and start over again. Something must give, if this exercise in circular futility is not to continue. The objective of both sides must be to dig deeper than before and lurch towards some consensus. Some type, some degree, some commencing, no matter how small the consensus.
It is a tricky one, this word consensus. Though thoughts were shared in SN earlier, a shortened version is repeated. When there is conflict, then there must be that tireless feeling for a way to get to consensus. It is mandatory, for otherwise leaves nowhere. There is no choice, unless a perennial checkmate is desired. I don’t think any of the parties want that, irrespective of the sharp flareups of impatience and frustrations. Reasoning must forge an ascendant hand, amid all the reciprocal finger pointing, verbal scuffling, headbutting. This impasse has gone on too long, and there must be a little giving here and there, from both sides. The much sought after consensus for both teachers and children to return to the classroom will be founded on, seeded by, compromises that indicate wanting to rise above the predicament that exists
It is of no value to note who did wrong, who repeated wrongs. Though possessing of sharp sting value, and good public relations fodder, the schools are still silent, with parents wringing their hands about babysitters and handicaps. Far be it from me not to acknowledge that this is business, with hard numbers contributing to tougher conversations. The atmosphere is not helpful: too much bad blood and bad faith, and with enough to share liberally around. But all of this, and none of this, should inhibit a meeting of once clashing minds so that the numbers can be parsed, stretched, rationalized, until there is that formula that makes everybody recognize that this could be mutually acceptable. The numbers must be massaged. It’s not about saving face but saving the children. Because it is the public school system, it means politics.
Since the parties in this knockdown are in a fight about money, a package of it, it is essential that sober heads prevail. Sober heads should temper expectations and the related conversations and presentations on both sides. Could I venture into this overheated cauldron to state that cooperation is the key to get to the compromises that give hope for consensus? The consensus understanding would be that no side got all that it wished for, but each side walked out of their last conversation with what should be for the next 3-4 years. In other words, something with which they could live, be proud about, in that through trial and error, and anger and much time lost, cooperation brought about the kind of compromises that led to a final consensus. I could taint this writing with postures involving discrete numbers, and ideas about how a total compensation package ought to be structured, with sweeteners, delayed gratification, and other incentives that swap cash for other comforts. I prefer leaving that to the participants. Relative to ‘other comforts,’ it could be for life after teaching. Or some concession about amenities of life reflecting creative thinking, innovative stretching, that went into finding solutions, and a rung up from the quicksand.
Everybody has had more than their say about who did wrong, who fell apart when straightforwardness had to be the only call. I think, I recommend, that it is time to zero in on doing what is right. What it takes to close this sorry episode in Guyana’s labour history to a place of mutual satisfaction. We focus on the negatives, the surrounding handicaps, and negatives and handicaps are what will litter the post meeting reports to the public. Instead of helping, or soothing the situation, the raw state of things simply gets rawer. To wrap this up, not the prettiest of parcels I readily admit, when there is good faith energy to move from where stuck to where holds promise, the small percentage points, even fractions, take on great significance. Good faith builds trust. The door is then swung wide to welcome what could be the first elements of consensus that fuel the compromises so direly needed. My hope is that there will be no need to write again (the 10th or 12th time) about the teachers’ strike. For by then, it would have been over, and there are smiles and handshakes around. No matter how strained, regardless of how stiff. Let this be done.
Yours sincerely,
GHK Lall
