Teachers take protest to Energy conference

Feb 20, 2024 News

Day 11 of strike action…

Kaieteur News – The opening of the well anticipated Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo was met with a long line of protesting teachers, who have vowed that their industrial action will continue indefinitely until the Government engages in collective bargaining towards resolving their salary woes.

A frustrated parent stands outside the Marriot Hotel in Kingston on Monday

Teachers across the country continued to stay away from their classrooms in large numbers. Yesterday their strike action entered its third week. Across the country, teachers gathered in large numbers and hosted protest marches. Outside the Marriot Hotel in Kingston, teachers held placards, and chanted to the beat of drums registering their frustration at the government refusal to accede to their cries for a livable pay package.

Standing on both sides of the road, in the heat of the midday sun, the teachers chanted loudly “We don’t want no small change from we oil money…6.5 percent increase can’t work,” as dignitaries commuted to and from the compound of the Marriot Hotel.

General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Coretta Mc Donald noted that the protest exercise was taken to the Marriot to make the international community aware of how the Government of Guyana is treating citizens of their own land while boasting of how much oil resources Guyana has. “We want to international community to know, that this is how the Government of Guyana is treating public servants, teachers who are important to the building up of its society” McDonald said.

The GTU official noted that Guyana has too many resources, not to be able to pay its teachers livable salaries. “With all of the development in the oil and gas sector, all of this oil coming up, we are finding it difficult to pay teachers… We want people to know that teachers and other citizens are still to see direct benefits, even as billions of dollars is being earned.”

Teachers on strike took their public demonstration exercise outside the Marriot Hotel in Kingston on Monday

“I don’t know why the Government is so bent on disrespecting the teachers. I am hearing that if they increase teachers salary, what will happen to other public sector workers, But I am asking what do we all receive at the end of the year, it’s the same across the board increase, but the increase you give us, is what you want to give us, but at the end of the day you give it to all sector of workers”, McDonald added.

Some parents joined the teachers’ protest in Georgetown yesterday calling on the Government to begin engaging the union, since the children are suffering. “I have my three boys out here with me because they are unable to attend school since the strike starts… We also understand that teachers need a livable salary we are out here standing in solidarity with them,” the parent whose three boys stood with placards on the protest line on Monday said. “We want school to return to normal but we also want our teachers to get their rightful, deserving pay increase, so we are in support of the action that will force the Government to address the teachers’ plight,” the woman added.

As it relates to the proposed option on having children attend online classes, the parent noted that this may not be feasible since most teachers will still be unwilling to teach online. “Whether you twist or turn it, we need these teachers because even you say school can go online who will teach the classes? You will still need these very teachers” she reasoned.

Most schools in Georgetown were almost empty for an 11th day as the strike continues. The GTU is pushing for the Government to begin negotiations on its multi-year proposal which was submitted more than three years ago.

President of the GTU, Mark Lyte on Sunday disclosed that less than 30% of students went to school during the two weeks of the nationwide teachers’ strike. During a live Facebook session, Lyte also disclosed that the industrial action will continue until the Government of Guyana (GoG) agrees to meet with the union to discuss improved welfare packages for some 14,000 teachers. “This strike has gone on for too long, the government has to be the big person in the room, they have to demonstrate maturity, and they have to demonstrate the ability to govern by bringing this standoff to an end,” Lyte said. He said after 10 days of strike less than 30 percent of the students showed up for school. During the first week of the industrial action, this publication had reported the many empty classrooms across the country. “No government that cares…how can a caring government sit back and allow 70% of the learners not to be engaged by their teachers because they have taken an arrogant position,” Lyte stated. Lyte lamented that one day of learning loss has significant impact on students. In a message to the government, Lyte said, “Swallow your pride, we didn’t bring this upon ourselves you pushed us to where we are…” “We move into day 11, we ain’t backing down,” Lyte added.