On Monday February 5, 2024 members of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) began strike -action demanding better wages, allowances and working conditions.
This strike has its genesis in two factors; the failure of the Ministry of Education to respect workers’ constitutional right to collective bargaining, and the belief by those in the corridors of power that an organized workforce is a threat to Guyana.
President of the Guyana Teachers Union, Mark Lyte, said the GTU is taking a decentralized approached to the protest and strike-action.
In an invited comment Mr. Lyte said; “Teachers are mobilized in all of the regions at this present time. We didn’t see the merits at this time to bring folks to Georgetown, so this is just a representation of Georgetown.”
The GTU president explaining to the Guyana Post from the picket line, said that the union has been saying to the Ministry of Education and by extension the Government of Guyana that they needed to address the concern of teachers.
Mr. Lyte said, “The placards being held by the protesting teachers say it all why our teachers are out here, instead of in the class room.
“We know that this is a critical time, CXC, CAPE and the National Grade Six Assessments, SBA completion, and so good sense should prevail, because our children would be affected because of the government’s failure to address the needs and concerns of our teachers.”
Mr. Lyte further said that the main issue to be dealt with by the government is its failure to address collective bargaining.
He noted that the government has refused to meet with the union to decide on salary increases, de-bunching and other emoluments for teachers. The GTU President said that for the last three years there has been impositions where teachers just receive what the government decided to give.
The union along with its members is adamant that this trend by the government has to stop. Mr. Lyte said, “For 2024, we want to see early engagements so as to address the last multi-year agreement and establish a new one.
“Our presence out here is because our teachers are affected by the high cost of living and the fact that they are unable to make-ends-meet at the end of each month. The mothers are unable to take care of their children and fathers are unable to take care of their wives.”
Lyte said the GTU has gone through the formal channels by writing to the Ministry of Labour to give notice of strike-action but there has been no response from the ministry or government.
He said, “We (the GTU) are still open to dialogue with regards to the financial matters in the multi-year proposal; we are outside [on strike] because we are dissatisfied with that; so, when the ministry through the government is ready to speak formally and seriously, we are ready.”
In August 2020 the Guyana Teachers Union submitted a multi-year proposal to the Jagdeo/Ali administration but nothing has been done by the Ministries of Education and Labour or the Government of Guyana to commence negotiations thus far.
