No salary cut, resume union dues deduction, agree to pay talks- Teachers’ Union; GTUC defends Coretta Mc Donald’s appointment

Last Updated on Friday, 16 February 2024, 16:17 by Denis Chabrol

General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Coretta Mc Donald addressing the University of Guyana- sponsored ‘Turkeyen-Tain Talks’ whose topic was “Education as Freedom: Education Reform and Socio-Economic Development in Guyana”. (File picture)

Even as the General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Coretta Mc Donald on Friday set additional conditions for teachers to end their 10-day old strike for increased salaries, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) dismissed claims by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo that she is not eligible to hold that top union post.

Ms Mc Donald told reporters-while hundreds of teachers from Georgetown, Linden and Berbice protested outside 21 and 26 Brickdam offices of the Ministry of Education- that government would first have to immediately restore the automatic deduction of union dues before the industrial action is called off. Secondly, she said the GTU would demand that teachers lose no pay for strike days and that the Ministry of Education begin serious negotiations on the union’s proposal for increased salaries and allowances.

“We would ask that the Ministry of Education come to us with a counter-proposal so that we can start our talks from our standpoint,” she said.

She disagreed with Mr Jagdeo that the union had been holding talks up to just before the strike was called on January 5, saying that those discussions had been at the level of the Professional Development Committee policy that focussed on attendance, an the reduction of class sizes, notes of lessons and teaching periods. She said the GTU has never been able to speak with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and that ministry had informed that  the negotiation of salary increases was the task of the Office of the President.

The GTU General Secretary said so far no one from the Ministry of Education or the Government had contacted the union, even informally, to indicate a willingness to hold talks. Mr Lyte said it was important that the government formally invites the union to meaningful talks.

GTU President Mark Lyte earlier Friday called on the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Komal Singh to engage the government to end the strike. Mr Singh, when contacted by Demerara Waves Online News, said the matter was gaining the attention of a number of PSC executives and efforts would be made to meet with both parties separately.

Reacting to Vice President Jagdeo’s assertion on Thursday that the GTU General Secretary was in office in violation of her union’s rules because she is an Associate Member and a parliamentarian. “Coretta McDonald retains her position as a teacher and qualifies to be General Secretary under Ordinary Membership.”

The GTUC called on Mr  Jagdeo to cease and desist from his public mischief and instead urge the government to meet with the Union and resolve the teachers’ grievances which are just and legitimate.

According to that trade union federation, the issues that led to the current industrial action by our nation’s public school teachers are:- Government’s failure to respect the workers’ right to collective bargaining through the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU),  the abrogation of its obligation under Sect 23(1) of the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Act to treat with the Union in good faith, and violation of the Labour Law to conciliate and arbitrate on the existing grievances.  Were these matters addressed the teachers would have been in the classrooms, teaching our children, where they would prefer to be.

The GTUC said attempts by the PPP government to justify its noncompliance with 23(1) of the Trades Union Recognition Act, which requires treating with the union in good faith, has seen efforts to deceive the nation using Rule 3 (ii) (c) of the GTU’s rules which speaks to Associate Membership, in order to de-legitimise Ms. McDonald in her role as General Secretary and further demonise the Union.

Further, Mr. Jagdeo’ behaviour, according to the GTUC,  is tantamount to interference into the internal affairs of the trade union which contravenes International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 87. Article 2 (1) of the said Convention expressly states “Workers’ and employers’ organisations shall enjoy adequate protection against any acts of interference by each other or each other’s agents or members in their establishment, functioning or administration.”