The suspended President and Second Vice President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, have turned to the High Court in an effort to have their suspension overturned on the grounds that it was unlawful.

GTU President Mark Lyte and Second Vice President Julian Cambridge have named the First Vice President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Mariska Williams; the General Secretary, Coretta McDonald; and three other Executives – Meon Crawford, Joseph Decunha, Elecia Barker as the respondents in the case.

The two suspended officials are asking the High Court to declare that the decision made by the General Council of GTU last December to suspend and bar them from carrying out their duties was unlawful, null and void, and made in breach of the constitution of the Teachers’ Union.

In general, Lyte and Cambridge want the High Court to set aside the decision, and to further order McDonald to vacate the post of General Secretary on the grounds that she cannot legally hold that office or any elected position within the union, while being an elected member of the National Assembly.

Laying down the grounds for the case, Lyte and Cambridge through their Attorney Kamal Ramkarran, argued that the motion that was tabled on December 17, 2024 to have them suspended, was moved without notice, and that they were not given an opportunity to properly respond to the motion.

“No investigations have followed and no communication has been made to the applicants but letters under the hand of the General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union have been sent to various persons and entities including Ministry of Education, Education International, Caribbean Union of Teachers and the Ministry of Labour informing them that the applicants have been suspended from duties and the applicants’ offices have been padlocked shut by officers of the Guyana Teachers’ Union,” the attorney said.

In their joint affidavit, Lyte and Cambridge explained that during period between February 2024 and July 2024, the union engaged industrial action against the State in public schools due to the absence of collective bargaining in negotiations between the State and the union.

It was explained that after a period of litigation, terms of resumptions were signed and negotiations resumed the State and the Teachers’ Union. GTU’s Negotiating Committee, whose members are part of the by the General Council, reach an agreement with the State following extensive consultations on government’s proposals.

“Between the vote by the General Council to accept those proposals and 21 August 2024, the union shared the proposals which it intended to accept with its various branches so that the reasons for the acceptance of the proposals could be known and discussed by its members. Meetings were held with various branches by officers of the union on the proposals and members were engaged on these proposals and they appeared to be very comfortable with the proposals once they were explained,” the suspended officials said.

 Lyte and Cambridge said it was following the implementation of the measures by the State, which had brought an end to the industrial action that the General Secretary, began to criticize them for signing the “controversial document” and attacked the agreement as being one which is bad. They said it was then that the motion was moved for them to be suspended with immediate effect.

Lyte said even before the motion was passed, he was immediately asked to vacate his seat as president and to stop chairing the meeting.

“Without being in possession of the minutes of the meeting of 9 August 2024 or the proposals offered by the State or the agreement entered into between the Union and the State, discussion on the motion took place and the applicants were accused by several members of the General Council of deceiving the General Council into accepting the State’s proposal and that the compensation was not adequate for the days of industrial action which had ensued,” they said while noting that they were not allowed to speak until the debate was over. 

Lyte and Cambridge said without adequate notice, they did not have the opportunity to defend themselves.

They are maintaining that the decision to accept the proposal was a decision of the General Council, and as a result their suspension could only be deemed unjust and unlawful, and should be reversed.

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