General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Coretta McDonald has assured that those teachers on strike will be paid if their salaries are cut. She gave this assurance on Brickdam, Georgetown as Day Two of the protest is underway.
McDonald’s comment comes hours after the Education Ministry informed the GTU of the decision to discontinue union dues deduction. The government said that it will no longer perform the “kind task” of being an agent for the collection of union dues which are remitted to the GTU”.
This decision, the ministry said, is in accordance with the ruling by Chief Justice, Ian Chang in the case of Guyana Public Service Union v Nanda Gopaul (number 584W/2000-Demerara).
Further, the ministry said it took into consideration the “current unlawful industrial action which has become wholly politicised, the barrage of threats disseminated by GTU across the country, as well as the racist sentiments and ethnically divisive rhetoric which will never be tolerated by this Government as we continue to build our beautiful One Guyana.” The ministry also reiterated that the majority of the Union’s requests were agreed upon by itself and the GTU.
But McDonald said that the cessation of due deduction is “high-class wickedness”, adding that the union will find “means and ways” of reinstating remittance via mobile money transfers.
She told media operatives that the GTU has been in existence for over 125 years and the body stands committed to ensuring that teachers are given what they deserve.
McDonald said that if the government moves to deduct pays from the striking teachers, the GTU will absorb the financial fallout.
“We have had enough time to sit and look at all these issues, because we know the devils we are playing with. So, we sat, and we organised, and we put systems in place, because we know as long as teachers come out here, they will want to cut the teachers’ salaries. Systems are in place to deal with our teachers and compensate them for whatever monies they’re going to lose,” McDonald said.
Reminded that the union operates on dues from teachers’ salaries, the General Secretary said, “Cutting the teachers’ salaries will not affect the union. As a matter of fact, the union has various means and ways of getting funding. As we speak, if you were looking not too long ago, you’d recognize that persons are coming and dropping monies in our hands”.
