GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC—President Dr Irfaan Ali says the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) may be close to an initial agreement that could end the lengthy teachers’ strike.
“There has been a lot of ongoing work, discussions about the resumption of work and the issues raised by teachers.
“I don’t want to go in any extended way in response. From the most recent feedback I have received, there seems to be some movement about getting to an initial agreement on terms that will see this situation resumed to some amount of normalcy,” President Ali said on Thursday at a press conference.
An initial five-week strike began on February 5, with teachers demanding higher salary increases and duty-free concessions, among other benefits.
After a court-mediated process in March, talks between the Education Ministry and GTU resumed.
However, discussions were halted when the Education Ministry indicated that there was no fiscal space to accommodate increases for the period 2019 -2023. Increases for 2024 and future years were considered instead.
Talks between the two parties continue, and both sides hope to come to a compromise soon.
Outside of these negotiations, Ali reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the welfare and livelihoods of teachers and other workers.
He also said the government is keen on improving the education sector, including through the infusion of technology to help rapidly upskill learners.
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