Lyte threatens court action over suspension

Dec 23, 2024 News

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…says motion passed by General Council ‘unconstitutional’

Kaieteur News- President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Dr. Mark Lyte has described the motion moved and approved by the General Council of the GTU to suspend him and his 2^nd Vice President (VP) Julian Cambridge, as unconstitutional.

Dr. Lyte and Cambridge were suspended, last Tuesday evening, following a meeting with members of the Union’s General Council. This newspaper was informed of the suspension hours after the motion was moved and approved.  The decision to suspend the two GTU executives was purportedly due to them accepting the 10 per cent pay increase offered by the Government to teachers back in August.

In an invited comment to Kaieteur News on Sunday, Dr. Lyte said that the legality of the motion has since come into question.  He explained: “There are a number breaches to the constitution of the Guyana Teachers’ Union’s rules.  For example, it has been six days since the motion has been moved and not an official statement was given to us detailing the reason for the suspension or how long the suspension will last…”

He said this is the normal procedure followed by the Ministry of Education when a teacher is alleged to have committed a misdeed or misdemeanour.  “It is imperative for them to provide in writing, the reason for the suspension and the duration,” the GTU President added.  As such, he said, the decision is challengeable and steps will be taken to do so in a court of law in due course.

“All of my actions leading up to the signing of the agreement with the Ministry of Education for salary increases for teachers were done in keeping with the constitution and the decision of the General Council of the Union.  So if this suspension has anything to do with the signing of that agreement it will be wholly misconceived,” Dr. Lyte told Kaieteur News.

Dr. Lyte told this publication that he has since reached out to the Union asking that they “spell out,” details of his suspension in writing, but they have yet to respond.  “I’ve been waiting patiently on their response.  It has been six days and counting and no word,” the GTU President said.

In addition to Dr. Lyte, a source close to the issue told Kaieteur News that the motion was ill-conceived, vexatious and lacked any legal basis.  “In my view, it was the worst mistake… It lacked the legal basis and constitutionally.  On that dreadful day when they decided to move the motion, it is evident that the persons responsible for it had not thought it through.  I t was not a proper motion in my opinion,” the source said.

According to the source, for this reason, the motion can be challenged and overturned. “For instance, the Union is yet to make an official statement as to the reason(s) for the suspension…. And let’s just say that it is for the reason suspected, which is the signing of the agreement for the pay increase for teachers, then every member that sat at the negotiating table with the Ministry of Education should be suspended since the agreement was based on the vote by the General Council of the union. In that way, it creates an atmosphere for unbiased investigation into the issue to take place. By pinpointing these men who were the signatories on the documents, the Union has already assumed a position of guilt for these men,” the source explained.

Further, the source said that since the first decision to sign the agreement for salary increases for teachers was sanctioned by the GTU’s General Council, another meeting by the General Council cannot rectify the situation. “The General Council cannot undo a decision of the General Council. It takes a special congress to do that…. It makes the whole decision seems political in nature.”

Additionally, the source noted that there are a few members within the GTU executive that will benefit from the suspension.  “We all know who is behind the motion and they are ones who stand to benefit if Mr. Lyte does not return to the position,” the source revealed.

Last August, to the displeasure of many teachers, Dr. Lyte signed a multi-year agreement with the government accepting the ten per cent pay hike for teachers and a slew of other benefits.  Among other things, the agreement stipulates that teachers will receive a salary increase of 10% for 2024, 8% for 2025 and 9% for 2026. These are the same increases that the Union had previously rejected.

(Lyte threatens court action over suspension)

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• Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Motion, salary deal, suspension, unconstitutional

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