GTU prepared to compromise on salary hike demands

May 31, 2024 News

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– says Govt. yet to table counter proposal

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) wants the Government to put up a counter proposal to theirs as they seek to bring an end to the over 50-days strike action for better salaries. They said too that they are prepared to amend their multi-year agreement proposal from 2019-2023 to 2022-2025.

During a live stream via the Union’s Facebook page on Tuesday, the GTU’s President Dr. Mark Lyte said that: “What the government was asking us to do was to forego a five-year period during which for three, there were impositions with no collective agreement. We even believe that one of the things that government could have done was to come to the table with a reason as to why they believe we don’t deserve an increase for that period.”

On Thursday, Lyte told News Source that the Union is prepared to compromise and begin negotiation on an agreement that would cover the years 2022 to 2025. According to News Source, the GTU President said the Union is willing to give up more than two years from its original proposal, and he believes it is now time for the Ministry of Education to show that it is serious and also offer two years for negotiation that would match the two years that the Union would have remaining from its original proposal.” If the Union is ready to compromise on some of those back years, the Government has got to be prepared to compromise on its position.

But all we are hearing is that the Union must compromise and not the other side and it is unfair to workers of this country to be asked through their Union to compromise five years when there is no compromise on the other side. I would say this now, that if the Government is prepared to take two years – 2022 and 2023 – and we go with 2024, 2025, then we can have a four-year agreement ASAP, if the Government is prepared to go with that. We are prepared to give up some of the years under the proposal that we submitted. Is the Government prepared to go back and compromise, rather than hold its position to say 2024 and no more?” Lyte is quoted by News Source as saying.

Speaking to Kaieteur News on the issue, GTU General Secretary, Coretta Mc Donald said this is not the first time that the Union has presented the government with a compromise as it relates to the multi-year agreement.

“We have always been willing to comprise but it’s the Government not prepared to do the same.  Every time, we offer something the Government has an excuse as to why they can’t meet the demand.

The GTU said is prepared to take two years – 2022 and 2023 – and we go with 2024, 2025,  then we said we are prepared to give up some of the years under the proposal that we submitted.  They said no… We ask for lump sum they said no.” Mc Donald lamented that while the government continues to be stiffed necked; the nation’s children are suffering.

“Children are suffering learning loss just because the government can’t seem to meet the union half way…Then the Government wants to come and preach to the citizens about how much they care. They care enough to offer no compromise while parents, teachers and children suffer.”

Meanwhile, during his Facebook live on Tuesday, Lyte explained that he is hearing of talks that the teachers did not work during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that “many teachers across this country strongly debunked that because it is such a lie to say our teachers did not work during the COVID…” “Our teachers were in the field distributing school work and the Ministry of Education is on record boasting and thanking our teachers for taking the risk.” Lyte noted too that several teachers lost their lives during the pandemic because they took that risk. “I can call several names but I do not want the families to relive that,” the GTU head added.

On February 5, 2024 teachers from across the country took to the streets to protest for better wages and salaries. This action went on for almost a month and resulted in a court battle between the Union and the government. In response to the GTU’s industrial action, government had announced that teachers who participated in the strike action – salaries will be deducted. However, GTU challenged the government’s decision in court and on April 19, 2024, High Court Judge, Sandil Kissoon ruled in favour of the teachers, affirming the legality of the strike and prohibiting the government from implementing salary deductions. The GTU has been calling on the government to hike teachers’ salaries and have since put a multi-year agreement 2019-2023 to the government for consideration. The government has since refused to accept the proposal, noting that it is only prepared to engage the Union on salary matters from 2024 onwards. This resulted in the Union utilising industrial action.

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• appeal, court, defend, GTU, Lyte

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