It is now two days since President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Coretta McDonald has failed to address accusations that the accounts of her organization have been in disarray for over three decades.
McDonald had previously informed this publication on Saturday about the union’s intention to counter recent accusations of unaudited accounts for nearly 35 years and the non-submission of financial statements for almost two decades. These allegations were initially put forth by Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and later corroborated by both the Audit Office and the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority.
During a Thursday press conference, Vice President Jagdeo emphasized the union’s lack of financial transparency, underscoring the absence of a comprehensive audit of GTU’s accounts since 1989. Given the billions of dollars in teachers’ dues collected by the union over the years, Jagdeo questioned the union’s credibility to critique the government and raised concerns about its management of the deductions.
When contacted by this publication for a response, McDonald stated that the union’s treasurer is in the process of gathering the necessary documentation to issue a statement, possibly by Saturday evening. She emphasized the importance of providing accurate information and refrained from offering comments until all relevant information was collected.
Despite her assurance, no statement was issued. When subsequent attempts were made to secure the defence, McDonald said that two statements had already been issued. Checking GTU’s Facebook Page revealed only statements urging teachers to persist in the ongoing advocating for their rights. McDonald was even keen to note that she was “out of town” when told that the statements did not address the issue at hand.
As the teachers continue to strike for better working conditions and compensation, the integrity of their representative body remains in question.