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GTU gives REO Wednesday deadline to share withholding regulation
Although there have been reports that the concerns relating to a decision to withhold the salaries of teachers in Region Five has been amicably resolved, the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU] is insisting otherwise.
GTU President,
Mr. Mark Lyte
The situation had its genesis when an Education Officer at a regional head teachers’ meeting revealed that three months’ salaries will be withheld from teachers if they travel overseas during the July/August holiday. The decision had spurred protest action by teachers within the region.
But according to Regional Executive Officer [REO], Mr. Ovid Morrison, who is said to be responsible for implementing the decision, this was not the gist of the decision he made. According to Morrison, he had merely indicated that one month would be held in lieu of leave. He said that several teachers have in the past received their salaries while overseas, and some of them failed to return. In order to counter this challenge, Morrison said that an informed decision was taken to enforce the existing public service rule of holding one month salary.
“If you return you will have your salary…” he advised.
Morrison had explained to this publication that the Region was simply seeking to safeguard itself against a future overpayment situation.
According to Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, at Friday’s Post Cabinet press briefing, Morrison, in a statement, detailed that the Region was faced with a situation where the Public Accounts Committee [PAC] had asked for an explanation for over-expenditure of about $80M with respect to the payment of teachers.
According to Harmon, the REO in his statement said that after the encounter with the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, he returned to the Region, and when the matter was further examined, it was found that there was a method that could be implemented to address the situation.
“He got back and looked at the matter and recognized that there was some regulation which allowed for teachers who had applied to travel overseas on leave – that either they lodge one month salary or one month salary that is due to them will be held until they return,” Harmon shared.
But according to GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, in an invited comment, the situation has not been fully settled as reported. He noted, “While we are happy that the REO has made it clear that he was not talking about holding three months salaries, but only the June salary will be held back for traveling during the July/August vacation, the Union in no way feels that our teachers should suffer for going on a deserved vacation.”
In fact, Lyte said that the union is calling on the REO to refrain from implementing the regulation he has alluded to until it is made public.
According to Lyte, the Union is demanding that the REO makes available the regulation by tomorrow [Wednesday, June 14, 2017]. “The GTU wants to see this legal instrument which the REO is using which gives him the authority to withhold a teacher’s salary.”
He added that “if the REO fails to produce the document and proceeds to hold any teacher’s salary, then GTU will resume its industrial action against this barbaric action”. This move will more than likely be warranted since, according to Lyte, “I am aware that there is no such document, since I have the public service rules book in my possession and it says nothing of the sort.”
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