Latest update February 11th, 2025 2:15 PM
Latest News
- Govt. makes move to cancel CGX, Frontera Corentyne block license in 30 days
- ExxonMobil paying taxes in Bahamas but not a cent to Guyana
- Canadian company completes airstrip, roads to kick off 5.4M ounce gold project in Guyana
- Hamas threatens to postpone next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of ceasefire deal
- Twelve-year-old girl missing for three weeks
‘GTU not buying into cheap talks; teachers need proper salaries now’
– Coretta McDonald in response to President Ali’s promises
Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali’s promise to create the “best welfare package” for teachers four years after taking office should be seen as nothing but “dishonest”.
GTU General Secretary, Coretta McDonald
“The GTU doesn’t buy into cheap talks. Talk can’t buy anything. We need proper salaries provision for teachers, and we need them now, we need provision for when they go to the hospitals, provision for teachers when they go to the bank for mortgage and such matters,” General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald told Kaieteur News on Saturday.
She said that the Head of State has failed to address the salary plight of teachers during the four years he has been in office and is just throwing “cheap talks” at teachers.
Teachers participated in a five-day countrywide strike last week demanding better salaries and working conditions.
President Irfaan Ali
On Friday, President Ali urged teachers not to down their tools but to be patient as his government has a comprehensive plan for all public servants. The President was quick to state that the execution of the plan would take some time and urged for patience.
“As I said to our teachers, our nurses, our public servants and I say to them now again that we are committed to giving you the best life possible,” President Ali said at the commissioning ceremony for a simulator facility at the Guyana Technical Training College Inc at Port Mourant, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne).
He continued by saying, “I explained that we are going to work in an incremental way to ensure that you [teachers] have the best welfare package,” the President said after stating “have patience.”
In response, McDonald said that the President should have at least had the courtesy to set a date and time when his government will address the salary plight of teachers.
“I’m hearing the President saying that there will be a best welfare package for teachers …in time… I would be happy for the President to put a definitive time when he will address the issue because which time is he really referring to? … it’s been four years,” McDonald stated.
She continued, “Teachers are living now; teachers don’t want to hear about in some time in the future.. out there…And we are talking about giving these teachers a proper salary package, so what is this best welfare package that the President is talking about. First, he told teachers about a comprehensive package just the other day, I want to ask the question what has happened to the comprehensive package that he is offering teachers…”
McDonald said the President’s utterance should be interpreted as ‘empty promises.’
“I think the President is being vey dishonest. I think that the President knows a few words so he repeats them very often. You can’t claim to love teachers and you are talking a best welfare package at a time when teachers have been languishing with the high cost of living. These teachers have families too,” the Union Head said.
She reminded President Ali that talk is cheap and it is his actions that matter.
“The President just jumping around and playing around with words…I think it is very disrespectful to teachers,” McDonald posited while noted that even more disrespectful is the government’s stance to bypass the GTU.
“The President has failed to address the executive of the union. Rather than address the union, he conveniently chose to select 100 teachers to go and have lunch with him at State House… there is nothing legal about that, because there is one body that is registered to speak on behalf of teachers in this country and that is the GTU,” McDonald stated.
The teachers’ strike is scheduled to continue this week.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Are we better off today than we were before first oil?
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-If you had asked me ten years ago what I wanted for Guyana, I would have said a few things:... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
