President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mark Lyte has denied all suggestions about an acceptance of a 7% agreement offered by the Government to the GTU.
Lyte said in a broadcast yesterday, “no one has accepted any proposed percentage offered by the Ministry or the Government, nor will we accept if that is the position of government to offer.” He emphasized that the negotiations are still ongoing, and no agreement has been formally signed between the GTU and the Ministry of Education.
The negotiations have involved two bilateral meetings to date, which Lyte described as having been conducted transparently and with significant progress. He noted that the process follows the 74-day strike, and that speculation and misinformation on social media have exacerbated member anxieties.
Lyte outlined that the GTU had submitted proposals covering 14 broad areas of discussion. By the end of the first meeting, eight of these areas had been addressed, reducing the number under negotiation from 14 to 6. He explained that the Ministry of Education is responsible for presenting counter-proposals on each item. These counters may either align with, exceed, or fall short of the union’s initial demands.
According to Lyte, the ongoing talks aim to find common ground between both parties. Although some agreements have been reached, the union has not yet accepted all proposals and has requested further clarity and potential revisions from the ministry.
Lyte urged GTU members to be cautious of unverified information and to understand that the negotiation process is complex and ongoing. Both the GTU and the MOE have agreed to issue joint statements once a resolution is reached, refraining from disclosing specific details prematurely.
The union president reassured members that the negotiation team, elected in 2022, is working diligently to ensure a fair outcome for all parties involved.
The Ministry of Education announced in early July that the conciliation process initiated by the Ministry of Education to engage the Guyana Teachers’ Union regarding the timeline for which a multi-year agreement should be agreed upon had come to an end.
The conciliation process ended with the parties agreeing that the multi-year agreement will address a period commencing from 2024 and onwards.
