Guyana’s Education Ministry is resolute in its stance that negotiations with the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) must be restricted to the year 2024 and onwards, despite the representative body threatening resumption of industrial action for years going as far back as 2019.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Shanielle Hoosein-Outar has responded to the GTU letter of Tuesday, May 7, registering the Ministry’s “surprise” at the union’s move to restart strike action from tomorrow (Thursday).
While the GTU claims that this is due to failed collective bargaining with the Ministry of Education, Hoosein-Outar in her letter to the GTU, said the government stands ready to engage the Guyana Teachers’ Union on a multi-year agreement from 2024 onwards.
Meanwhile, the GTU has since informed headteachers and staff of its decision to return to the streets.
“The repeated salary impositions in December 2021,2022, and 2023 are a clear indication that the Government is unwilling to engage the GTU meaningfully. The strike will officially resume on Thursday, May 9, 2024,” the union said via a missive posted on its Facebook page.
The union is asking teachers to not report for work from May 9, 2024, until further notice and to “not listen to threats that will come from high offices”.
Futher, headteachers supporting the strike may hand over school keys to the most senior teacher(s) on staff who will be at work or where the entire staff will be on strike, school keys must be taken to the Education Departments or the nearest Police Station from Wednesday, May 8, 2024.