Meeting with teachers was not negotiation- Pres Ali; GTUC sensed no commitment to collective bargaining

Last Updated on Saturday, 7 October 2023, 19:15 by Denis Chabrol

President Irfaan Ali has refuted claims by the Guyana Teachers Union, Guyana Public Service Union and the opposition that his meeting with teachers last Monday amounted to negotiations.

“This was not a meeting to negotiate anything. This was a meeting to meet directly with teachers to listen to them, to listen to their concerns, to hear from them how they feel and what they see as their priority. This has nothing to do negotiations with unions,” he said on a Facebook Live update.  He did not say whether he favoured collective bargaining with trade unions. He said the union was “definitely” invited to his consultation at State House where he heard several calls for increased allowances rather than a pay hike.

The Guyana Teachers Union has since warned that increased allowances are not used to calculate pensions and gratuities for retirees. GTU President Dr Mark Lyte has refused to respond to calls, requests and a message for an interview on Friday’s talks.

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) said it gleaned in a meeting with government ministers on Friday that the administration was not interested in collective bargaining.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who was part of the 2024 budget consultations with representatives of the trade union movement, said in a statement that government. “He (Dr Singh) also reiterated Government’s intention of reaching each and every citizen on the ground in a manner that brings Government to the people, and not just making decisions through representative organizations,” the Finance Ministry statement added.

GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis said, for him, the high point of the discussion was the need to return to collective bargaining for wages, salaries and fringe benefits rather than the annual imposition of a wage/salary increase. “The government stayed away from the question of collective bargaining. We pressed them on that, but the point is that, as we discussed the matter, that is not an area they d0n’t have a mandate to speak and commit the government on. The tenor of the discussion gave me that impression,” he said.

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity, Guyana Public Service Union, Guyana Teachers Union and the Guyana Trades Union Congress have said the meeting with the teachers was a violation of Guyana’s Constitution, Trade Union Recognition Act and the International Labour Organisation Convention that all govern collective bargaining.

The Finance Ministry said the consultations saw participation from unions affiliated with both the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUG) and the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) as well as the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU). The specific participating Unions included the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), National Association of Agricultural, Commercial & Industrial Employees (NAACIE), Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), and Guyana Labour Union (GLU), the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), the Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU) and the General Workers
Union (GWU).

In keeping with Government’s consultative approach to governance, Prime Minister, Brigadier Mark Phillips, and Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni K. Singh today led a series of Budget consultations with several Trade Unions from across the country, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

“The consultations allowed for the Unions to raise and discuss issues of interest, particularly in relation to the National Budget and other matters,” government said.

The Government team also comprised Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira, Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag,
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, Advisor to the Minister of Public Service, Jennifer Westford, Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Labour, Ms. Delma Nedd and Ms. Mae Thomas respectively, Director
General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mandanlall Ramraj, and Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine.