Government - Teachers talks

Government – Teachers talks

Mar 17, 2024 Editorial

Kaieteur News – The disbelievers and hardliners are going to have a full day. The government-teachers talks have fallen apart, and the road ahead looks grim. Since little can be agreed upon by Guyanese in Guyana, the intervention of outsiders may now become the one way out. For its part, the Guyana Teachers Union is heading to the court first for any kind of adjudication that it can get. To speak to what commonsense dictates, it is a sorry situation. The school system, the communication system at the national level, and the system that guides labor relations are all under siege, in definite disarray.

There were those in the ranks of the striking teachers who felt that their lawful action should not have been stopped by their union, without tangible commitments from the government side in hand. There was none then, and the PPPC Government redrew its hard redline in the sand: there will be none now. The biggest bone of disagreement involves the years to be considered. The GTU is insistent that talks about pay cover the years 2019-2023. The government, through the Ministry of Education, is just as unmoving with its position that the talks about money start from 2024. Now it is back to court and, as looks increasingly likely, it is back to the street.

Without a doubt, there will be reciprocal accusations of negotiating in bad faith, reneging on what was arrived at before, and some more public outpouring of all the bitterness (and bad blood) that has accumulated in this country. The government-teachers impasse is but one example of the rough undercurrents that roil Guyana. It’s a long list of deteriorating relationships that spell difficulties for all involved, as well as wider Guyanese society. Children and their parents are caught in the crossfire of accusation and counteraccusation. The local system of learning is held hostage, with no end in sight, and the strike clock seems poised to restart. Also, it must be said that constitutional provisions relative to collective bargaining agreements have suffered from repeated breaches, leading to the angry, frustrated states that now deepen.

The media releases indicated from the beginning that the court-directed, mediator-influenced, developments never really got going, crawled a few steps forward, then retreated more than was advanced. Parents and the public kept an anxious eye on the clock, crossing their fingers, and hoping against hope that good news would emerge from talks that looked tense even from a distance. The hope was that the bigger picture would be looked at, as such extended to primary and secondary school level examinations hanging in a shaky place. Many Guyanese were hoping that the now prevailing standard of heavy-handed and one-sided decision-making (no engagement, no consultation) would have seen its last day.

From the very start, we at this paper have come out in complete support of the striking teachers. Binding agreements, as based on what the law requires, must be honored. They must not degenerate into games, or political football made of the livelihoods of workers. There should be no better example than the government when such agreements are up for negotiation. The government must set the bar, the government must be setting the precedent for others to follow.

Negotiations over wages, salaries, and general working conditions are serious business.

Negotiations have significant meaning for the nation’s coffers. On the other hand, there is more meaning for the people across the table fighting for their due, for fairness. In the present circumstances, it is the government and teachers locked in what has every appearance of deteriorating into an unrelenting life-and-death struggle, with not an inch yielded. In the broader context, there is the public service, with its tens of thousands of strapped and struggling workers.

Like teachers, they also know what it is to be driven to the edges of poverty in a country that is applauded as among the richest in the world. The monthly money cannot meet basic needs. Yet, there is no determined push by the government in leading the way for the minds of all to agree on common causes to lift this country.

There is endless verbal sparring, constant battling, that drag down. The new government-teachers stalemate speaks volumes.

Editorial, Government, Guyana Teachers Union, position, PPPC

Latest News

Government – Teachers talks

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 4th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

‘One Guyana’ 3×3 Quest tips off today

Twin tons from Anderson, Imlach steer Eagles back...

Race for quarterfinal spots commence today at MoE...

Marsh sets up Lucknow’s comfortable win...

Saints and GTI dominate as YBG Georgetown...

Carty misses ton, Hamilton (80) sets up tense...

Features/Columnists

The One-Man Republic

The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation

Polls – what they say, where I stand

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Government – Teachers talks

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 4th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]