GTU President, 2nd Vice President suspended

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 December 2024, 23:10 by Writer

President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Dr Mark Lyte and Second Vice President Julian Cambridge were Tuesday suspended by the union’s General Council, apparently over their signing of the salaries and benefits agreement with government earlier this year.

GTU General Secretary, Coretta McDonald declined to comment on the General Council’s decision and said a statement would be issued later Wednesday.

But, Dr Lyte told Demerara Waves Online News that “it seems” that the decision by the General Council was linked to the inking of the accord on August 21, 2024.

“General Council took a decision to suspend us, the same General Council that took a decision for us to sign the agreement,” Dr Lyte told Demerara Waves Online News. He said that he was yet to receive his letter of suspension that is expected to state the reason.

“I think it was all concocted,” he added.

Dr Lyte said the GTU’s General Council decided on the suspension 22-8 in contrast to 17-5 to sign the salaries and benefits agreement.

While Ms McDonald was among the union representatives who was present at the Ministry of Education when the agreement was signed, she almost immediately spearheaded a relentless campaign against Dr Lyte for doing so.

The strike marked the formal end of a prolonged period of strike and other forms of industrial action that Ms McDonald, herself, had told a GTU meeting was waning because of a lack of support from union representatives, Guyana Trades Union Congress and the Caribbean Union of Teachers.

Dr Lyte was accused of selling out to the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration by signing an agreement that was not in the best interest of the teachers. He was forced to come out and defend the salaries and benefits package.