Glenn Lall throws support behind teacher’s strike

Feb 27, 2024 News

---

– says Govt giving away US billions to Exxon that can triple their pay overnight

Kaieteur News – Kaieteur News Publisher and advocate for a better oil deal, Glenn Lall has thrown his support behind the ongoing nationwide teachers’ strike action, saying that the educators’ salaries could be tripled if government manages the oil sector properly.

During an impromptu visit to the striking teachers in Essequibo on Monday, Lall told them that they need to educate themselves on the nitty-gritty of the oil industry here to better appreciate the amount of money this country was losing through bad contract management. He told the teachers that they should be demanding a tripling of their salaries with the kind of resources this country is blessed with. “Our gold and diamond and manganese and timber are being stolen by foreigners and our leaders are not doing anything about it,” Mr. Lall told over 150 teachers who gathered under a benab at Anna Regina on Monday. He said with no ring-fencing of the oil contract with Exxon, the non-payment of taxes by the US oil major and a meagre 2% royalty every Guyanese is being short-changed.  He called on the teachers to stand up for their rights and march the leaders out of government.

The teachers have entered their fourth week of strike action, calling on the government to engage their union in collective bargaining to address a range of issues including a hike in their salary. Thus far the government has resisted and instead threatened to deduct the pay of the striking teachers and branding their industrial action political. A High Court judge last week blocked any attempt by the government from deducting the teachers’ salary until a challenge by their lawyer is determined.

Lall told the teachers that they have to stand up and fight for what they are blessed with and know their worth in the country they are living in.  “I asked a teacher yesterday, I said man if you go home and you see a man fetching out your TV from your house what are you gonna do? No no no he can’t do that I would have fight for it. My brothers and sisters we have to stand up, we have to fight for what God blessed us with.”

Telling the teachers they need to understand their value, Lall explained “when you do not understand your worth as a Guyanese citizen, you are not just failing yourself but also your children and future generations. This is our problem when we don’t understand our value, when we don’t understand what we’re worth as a citizen of this country living in this country with this type of wealth, we are failing ourselves. We are failing our children we are failing future generations.” Lall said:  “As I hear the teachers talking about a livable wage, my blood is boiling my soul is bleeding. When I hear teachers bawling out, protesting 15 days now for a livable wage in a country that is so blessed with resources. (It is) unbelievable. I heard the teacher talking about God please bless our leaders with knowledge and wisdom. I also want to add that may God bless you teachers with knowledge and wisdom too.” “This is what you people as teachers as educators need to understand first and foremost you need to understand the wealth you have in this land. My heart burns when I watch you people struggling and begging, when I watch the headlines of the newspapers daily, I feel like cry…you have to use this wisdom go into the churches, the mandirs and the masjids you need to beg God to give you the wisdom and knowledge to understand to stand up and speak up for what you own,” he added.

The crowd yesterday had tripled in number in comparison to last Thursday.  Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) President Mark Lyte has said that teachers across Guyana will remain resolute in their struggle for a livable wage.  Lyte noted that “over the last three weeks our faith has been tested. I want to commend those persons who have stood solidly with the union…there are some, who became afraid because of the threats made by the government and returned to the classroom.” The GTU President noted nonetheless that the union will continue its efforts to get the Government to engage with them on the issue of pay hike for teachers.  “You who stood with us and those who continue to stand with us I commend you…” he said, adding that the recent court ruling has given teachers a glimmer of hope that their efforts are not vain. “So this week, we will expect some more support because we must not allow this administration or any government to intimidate us,” he stated.

---

• Essequibo, Publisher, striking, teachers, worth

---