Latest update January 3rd, 2025 1:36 AM
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Stalled 2015 promotions…GTU still opposed to TSC’s operation
—optimistic teachers will eventually reap full benefits
Embracing measures to make irrelevant the operation of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) may
GTU President,
Mr. Mark Lyte
very well be the next move of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU). This development was hinted to by President of the Union, Mr. Mark Lyte, yesterday.
When asked to elaborate on this subtle threat, Lyte opted to not do so. He, however, told this publication that during the Union’s recent Biennial Conference in Bartica, concerns about the operation of the TSC were brought up for discussion.
The GTU has for some time been at odds with the TSC over its promotion process. And, according to Lyte, GTU members at the recent conference agreed that the efforts by the union to amplify its concerns about the TSC have been taken too lightly by Government thus the need for further action.
“It is up to the (GTU) executive to decide on the direction we will go.”
The GTU, since last year, said that it had qualms with the manner in which the TSC has been undertaking its promotion process of teachers. The TSC has the mandated responsibility to appoint, discipline and promote the majority of teachers within the publication education system.
However, the Union, through its representative on the Commission, was able to unearth what it believes are some irregularities with the promotion process. The Union is convinced that the promotion of teachers is influenced by some measures that do not conform to the rules and regulation associated with this undertaking.
This observed development, the Union had disclosed, has in essence caused the TSC to breach the manner in which it should conduct its mandated role.
Moreover, the Union had requested last year that the autonomously operated TSC review its preliminary list of promotion. The Schools Board Secretariat, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Education and is tasked with the promotion of some teachers within the public school system, was also asked to review its preliminary list.
Peeved that its request was not readily adhered to, the GTU secured an injunction from the high court which essentially halted the 2015 teachers’ promotion process. While the Schools Board Secretariat, though belatedly, complied with the review request, the TSC refused to do likewise and instead decided to challenge the GTU concerns in court.
The TSC, according to Ms. Leila Ramson, has premised its decision to not review its 2015 preliminary list of promotion since it is not feasible to repeat the quantity of work already completed. Ramson had told this publication the TSC would have been willing to take into consideration the concerns of the Union this year. However because of the court proceedings, in addition to last year, the promotions for this year have been stalled. A ruling on the matter is expected later this month.
Lyte, yesterday, shared his optimism that judgment will be in favour of the GTU even as he speculated that teachers will not be deprived of what they deserve. “There continues to be concerns among teachers because of the delay of the promotions…but the Union has been trying to deal with this TSC issue for the past 20 years. Obviously in order to get better we will have some issues.”
“The Union is confident that we will win this matter. Having this confidence, the Union is hopefully that teachers who would be promoted based on the right procedure will be able to get their appointments retroactive to September 2015…this would mean that whatever would have been their benefits would be intact; the concerns of our teachers is that their benefits will be affected.
“It isn’t our hope that anyone would lose years or lose pension, or lose gratuity, and this is what I have been saying to them, but the court has to rule first,” Lyte related.
The GTU has been staging protests outside of the TSC’s Brickdam, Georgetown office in order to emphasise its concerns.
Among the calls of the GTU is the replacement of the Leila Ramson-led Commission. According to Lyte, the Union has been gaining immense support from its members in this regard and plans to continue this action.
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