The nationwide strike by teachers entered its fourth week this morning, with more schools seeing both teachers and students staying away.
While Government officials have been busy over the past week with an energy conference and the ongoing CARICOM Meeting, teachers across the country have remained on the picket line while using both of those events to highlight their concerns and call for improved salaries and working conditions.
Today, President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Mark Lyte said it is time for the narrative set by the Government that the strike is political, to be buried.
He said the issue is, and has always been a “bread and butter” one for the nation’s teachers, and the Government needs to address the situation.
“I think the demonstration of teachers across Guyana would have shown that this has nothing to do with politics. In fact, some of our placards are saying, ‘it is not political, it is economical,’ and that is why you see teachers of all colours, shades, levels in the education sector standing out here. And, we resolutely believe that the government has to come to the table, and that has been our position,” Lyte told News Source.
There has been no movement by the Government to address the substantive issue of salary increase for teachers since the strike started.
Instead, the Education Ministry attempted to cut the salaries of the striking teachers, but that plan was shot down by a conservatory order issued by the High Court blocking the Government for cutting the salaries of the teachers.
Lyte said he hopes that the Conservatory Orders handed down by the Court will be respected and upheld by the Ali Administration.
“We have not gotten any feedback from the government since the ruling. We do hope that they comply with the judge’s order, and that the matter is allowed to take its course in the court for the judge to decide based on the evidence,” the GTU President said.
The substantive case brought by the Union against the Government will be heard on March 20. It challenges Government’s alleged failure to engage in collective bargaining as stipulated by the law, and the proposed salary cuts for those teachers on strike, as well as the attempt by the Government to discontinue the deduction of union dues from the salaries of teachers on behalf of the union.
In the interim, the Union remains hopeful that Government will heed to the cries of teachers, and the nation’s children, who are also severely affected by the strike.
The GTU wrote to the Government two weeks ago, seeking a meeting and indicating the conditions that have to be met for the strike to come to an end. The letter was ignored.
“It is disrespectful for someone to write you and you don’t respond, and it has been over three weeks since we wrote the Permanent Secretary [of the Ministry of Education]; disrespectfully no response. But whatever it takes to have government understand that we are serious about this, and that we are serious about our position to come to the table and have that engagement, we don’t mind resending the letter to them,” he said.
The GTU President said it is clear that the strike is already having an impact on the Education system.
“We are not taking blame for anything. We have exhibited a lot of patience over the many years, three plus years, and to take a stand at a time when we believe that the system needs us most is always a critical approach. What we have seen is the uncaring side of the government not willing to consider our children and the plight of our teachers,” he said.
Many teachers have indicated that they intend to remain on strike until the Government re engages their union on the salary increases and other related issues. (Svetlana Marshall)
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