GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Brussels-based Education International (EI) has written to the Guyana Education Minister, Priya Devi Manikchand, expressing “concern and disappointment” at her failure to acknowledge or respond to a February 16 letter regarding the ongoing national strike by members of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).
In a letter dated February 28, 2024, EI general secretary David Edwards said: “Despite the tireless efforts by the GTU to engage in dialogue regarding crucial matters such as salary increases and non-salary benefits for teachers, it is disheartening to note the absence of fruitful dialogue.”
Edwards said in its initial letter that EI had highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach based on the provisions of the International Labour Organization ((ILO) Convention 98 ” to address teachers teachers concerns and reach a resolution that benefits all parties involved.
“The lack of response or engagement is deeply concerning,” wrote Edwards, adding, “Given the urgency and seriousness of this matter, we are left with no choice but to consider escalating the issue to the ILO level.”
EI describes itself as a Global Union Federation that represents organizations of teachers and other education employees. It says it is the world’s largest, most representative global, sectoral organization of unions, with more than 32.5 million trade union members in 384 organizations in 178 countries and territories.
The GTU has already welcomed a High Court ruling that temporarily prevents the government from cutting the salaries of teachers on a national strike and stopping the automatic deduction of union membership dues.
The High Court granted the orders on the 14th day of the industrial action by the teachers and ahead of the entire hearing and determination of the substantive matters on March 20, 2024.
The High Court granted the orders on the 14th day of the industrial action by the teachers and ahead of the entire hearing and determination of the substantive matters on March 20, 2024.
But Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, says that the salaries of striking teachers will be deducted eventually.
He said the judge’s ruling was wrongly interpreted as a green light for the strike to continue without the eventual deduction of salaries and a discontinuation of the automatic dedication and transfer of union dues.
“The orders of the judge were temporary; they are interim, and I am convinced that in the end, the case for the government ought to prevail, and when that happens, the interim orders will have to be discharged,” Nandlall said during his weekly ”Issues in the News’News’ program.
Nandlall said that these temporary orders were granted to preserve the “status quo” as the substantive case proceeds. He said when those orders were given, the government side had yet to present any arguments, only the arguments from the GTU.
But once the case is completed, Nandlall opined that the government’s actions will be upheld since they are in keeping with the law.
“I hope that teachers understand that these monies will be deducted,” he added, disclosing that Education Ministry officials are still keeping records of the teachers who show up to schools and those who do not.
Last year, the Irfaan Ali government, which has deemed the current industrial action illegal, ignored repeated calls for collective bargaining and instead engaged a cross-section of teachers to hear their grievances and requests.
Senior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, in a statement last December, announced an across-the-board salary increase of 6.5 percent that will benefit over 54,000 public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, and government pensioners and will place an additional GUY$7.5 billion(One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) in disposable income annually in the hands of these employees.
The GTU, which called on the strike on February 5, proposes a 25 percent salary increase for 2019, 20 percent for 2019 to 2023, and an additional performance-based incentive of two percent annually.
Further, the union wants a GUY$5,000 emotional/ stress/risk allowance, a monthly Internet allowance of 10,000, a GUY$10,000 monthly allowance to teachers who use their vehicles to perform official duties, and a fixed monthly allowance of GUY$7,000 for headteachers/principals to conduct business on behalf of their institutions.
In its letter to the Education Minister, EI said the GTU as an affiliate is entitled to the protections and rights as outlined in the ILO Convention 98 ” and failing a positive and constitutive response within a reasonable time frame,” it may have ” no option but to bring this matter to the attention of the United Nations Labour Organisation.
“We sincerely hope it does not come to that, and we look forward to your prompt and positive engagement in resolving this critical issue,” Edwards wrote.
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