The Guyana Teachers’ Union has initiated Court action, seeking to block the Government from its plan to cut the salaries of striking teachers, and to get the Government to continue deducting union dues from the salaries of teachers for the union.

In an application to the Court this afternoon, the GTU through Attorney Darren Wade, is contending that it has exhausted its efforts to get the Government to negotiate a salaries package for the nation’s teachers. The GTU submits that since it submitted its proposals in 2020, there has been no real movement by the Government to sit with the union and finalise an agreement on salary increases and non-salary benefits.

The union explains that it has repeatedly written to the Government, through the President’s Office and the Ministry of Education, seeking discussions on salary increases. Many of its requests for meetings were left unanswered.

According to GTU, it fulfilled its responsibility by submitting a multi-year proposal to the Government, through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, but despite that move, there was still no move on the part of the Government to address the salaries issue.

The Court filing documents additional efforts by the union to engage the Labour Ministry on the need for conciliation and arbitration, but the Labour Ministry did not respond to its requests, forcing the union to call for a general strike action.

The union wants the Court to declare that the strike action is not illegal and that it followed all legal requirements and avenues before resorting to the strike action.

The GTU contends that the Government has been acting in bad faith, and continues to act in bad faith by its decision to not only cut the salaries of striking teachers, but its decision to also remove itself as an agent for the GTU in the deduction of union fees from the salaries of teachers.

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