Govt. showcases top brass salary scale and not 85% of teaching staff – Essequibo teachers

Feb 08, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – The teachers on strike on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, used day three of their protest to callout the Ministry of Education for only posting a small percentage of the teachers’ workforce salary, particularly the ‘top-brass.’

An average of 200 persons including teachers on the Essequibo Coast turned up yesterday for the ongoing nationwide strike action which commenced on Monday. During a Facebook live session documenting the third day of the strike in Region Two – a stronghold of the ruling PPP/C, the teachers focused on debunking misinformation being peddled by the Education Ministry, especially in relation to the salary scale of the teaching workforce.

An advertisement from the ministry showed an over 20% increase for teachers since 2020.  The ministry’s ad showed a salary range of $204,968 to $409,632. It should be noted that the salaries published by the ministry are for Headmasters, Deputy Headmasters, Senior Assistant, Lecturer 1, Principal and others. The lowest paid salary in the ministry’s ad was that of a trainee teacher with a salary of $104,003.

However, according to the teachers in Essequibo, the ministry failed to show the net salary of the teachers and also omitted to post the salary of the Assistant Mistress/Master (AM), Senior Assistant mistress/master (SAM), Temporary untrained Mistress/ Master (TUM) and Temporary Qualified mistress/Master (TQM) – which account for some 85% of the teaching population.

Sir Martin Samaroo, a prominent voice among the striking educators, said, “Because those salary scales were left out, it should give you a clear indication of what they are trying to do…if you were asked to provide the salary scale of teachers, why did you leave out the part which accounts for more than 50 percentage.”

Sir Samaroo, a Non-Graduate Senior Assistant Master said, “You want to know what the salary has become after the increase $137,000, yes $137,000…if it wasn’t for the love of the profession, why are teachers putting up with this…?”

He stated that his take home was $130,000 before the 6.5% increase. “I am a senior teacher in the system and this is what I’m taking home…the assistant masters and mistresses will be taking home way less than that,” he added. “I just spoke to two teachers and I am ashamed, I was reliably told that an Assistant Master or Mistress (AM) salary does not cross $120,000, take home with the 6.5%…”

Notably, a January 2024 pay slip was shown for an AM, which reflected a net salary of $116,000.  A January 2024 pay slip for a TQM was showed and that reflected a net salary of $93,000.  “They decided to post gross salaries of the higher ups, Principals, DHM and HM as if all the teachers are DHM and all the teachers are lecturers…” a teacher said.

As such, the teachers challenged the Ministry to post the salary scale of all the teachers and not the salary for Headmasters and others.

50% increase for Public Servants

As the teachers stepped up their protest action calling on the Government to engage the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) in the process of Collective Bargaining towards achieving better salaries and working conditions for teachers – a video was shown during the live with President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. The video depicted Ali, during his tenure as an opposition frontbencher as he addressed the National Assembly and said, “What about the nurses, the teachers, the police officers, aren’t they equally important…?”

Meanwhile, for his part, Jagdeo as opposition leader said: “I’m glad that the government has reintroduced collective bargaining and I hope that the Public Service Union will request at least a 50% increase in wages and salaries.”

Generous Folks

Day three of the strike in Essequibo saw the teachers cooking under a shed in Cotton Field, near the Regional Education Office. As support grew for the teachers in their stance, persons from the region donated several items. Kaieteur News understands that due to financial constraints, some teachers in the Pomeroon River were unable to attend the first three days of the protest. However, they received fuel donation and will be attending today’s protest.

Respect Each Other

Moreover, the teachers urged their colleagues to desist from bullying others who choose not to strike and are in the classroom. They explained that some teachers cannot afford to lose a 10-day cut in pay and even though they might support the protest, they are unable to join. Addressing concerns, a teacher said, “How can it be political? Teachers are not politicians. How can this strike be political? It never was and never will be…Region Two ain’t giving up this struggle, we can’t afford to.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• education, Essequibo, protest, teachers, wages

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