By Svetlana Marshall
The Government, through the Ministry of Education has revised its salary increase offer to teachers to 9% for 2024 and 8% for 2025 and another 8% for 2026.
Two weeks ago, the Government was offering the nation’s teachers a 7% increase.
The Ministry of Education put forward the revised offer today as it met with the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) for another round of negotiations on a multi-year package for teachers in the public sector.
Following the meeting, the President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Dr. Mark Lyte, while not offering specific details about the latest offer, told News Source that the GTU is still not satisfied with the latest offer.
“As it is, the Union feels that the Government can do better with the offer that they have presented…social media has been speaking about percentages offered, I can tell you that, what was offered today was a little more than what was circulating in social media. And we have not accepted that,” Lyte told News Source.
In its proposal to the Education Ministry, the Teachers’ Union recommended that teachers on scales 1 to 3 be paid a 39.5% salary increase for 2024 and an additional 30% for 2025 and and another 30% for 2026.
With regards to teachers on scales 4 to 19, the Union proposed a salary increase of 35% for 2024, and additional 30% for 2025 and another 30% for 2026.
Lyte said while the Union and the Education Ministry were unable to reach an agreement on the core issue of salary increases for teachers, they were able to address other issues, including non-financial matters.
“Today’s meeting built on the last two we had. We had several matters that had to be addressed in the sense that the Ministry had promised to return today with an update on those matters. We have gotten definitive positions on some of those areas, and the two sides are again stuck with the agreement on the percentage, and we agree to meet next week Wednesday for a further update in the percentage area,” the GTU President said.
While repeatedly denying to offer more details about the meeting and the offers and counter offers, Lyte said the two sides have agreed not to disclose particular details of the negotiations until the negotiations are concluded.
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