The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is proposing an interim 20 percent across-the-board payout to educators as the body continues to haggle with the Education Ministry amid an ongoing strike.
The union said that during its conciliation meeting with the ministry, it presented a “detailed proposal” outlining the conditions for resuming duties and commencing conciliations for determining the period for which negotiations are to be taken on. The union proposed the following terms:
- No victimization, loss of service, transfers, or demotions upon resumption of duties;
- An interim $20% across-the-board payment to be made immediately;
- Negotiations to commence within 72 hours of resumption and take place over a 6-week period;
- Establishment of an arbitration tribunal if negotiations fail within the stipulated period; and
- Recusal of the Minister of Labour from the negotiation process due to perceived lack of integrity and impartiality.
The union said that the Ministry of Education has shown no interest in considering its requests or “engaging in meaningful conciliations” to resolve the ongoing strike.
Despite the GTU’s efforts for a reasonable compromise, the Education Ministry has remained steadfast in its refusal to negotiate a collective labour agreement for the period 2019-2023, which the representative body said is the core grievance prompting the strike.
The conciliation process will continue on Monday May 20, 2024.
