The Ministry of Labour has appointed a three-member advisory committee to advise on the way forward on the teachers' strike that has schools across the country shut down.
The three-member committee includes former pro-chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Dr Martin Boodhoo who will chair the panel; Industrial Relations Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation, Francis Carryl; and UG Bursar, John Seeram.
Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) President Sydney Murdock, yesterday told Stabroek News that the union had not received the correspondence from the Ministry of Labour in relation to the appointment of the committee. However, he said that before calling off the strike action it was fundamental that both the GTU and the ministry agree on the terms of resumption.
On Monday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Hydar Ally told Stabroek News that the ministry was prepared to begin negotiations with the GTU provided the terms of resumption were agreed on. Such a meeting would have to be facilitated by the Ministry of Labour.
Chief Labour Officer, Mohamed Akeel told this newspaper that the committee had been set up yesterday and the Ministry of Education and the GTU had been informed. The terms of reference of the committee is to enquire into the dispute existing between the ministry and the GTU that has led to the industrial action.
In addition, Akeel said that the scope of the committee was wide and it would make such reports and recommendations as the committee deemed fit.
He said that the committee had not been given any timeframe within which to work but said that he had requested that for the committee to do its work, the strike should be called off.
But the GTU intensified its industrial action yesterday as it presses for increases in salaries for 2002, by calling on teachers not to report to work until further instructed.
The union has also planned a peaceful protest march in the city for today. The decision on a full out strike was taken at a General Council meeting of the union held last Friday.
The union wants a 15% across the board increase for its teachers. Teachers were paid increases ranging from 15% for the lower categories, to 5% for those in the higher bracket but the increases were not based on any agreement between the union and the ministry.
The GTU was also seeking to bring the salaries of the lowest categories of teachers in line with the minimum wage in the traditional public service. The disparity in salaries had come about when the Armstrong tribunal had awarded public servants a substantial increase in salaries in 1999 and teachers at another arbitration tribunal had been awarded lesser increases.
In 2000, when it was recognised that cleaners/sweepers in the Ministry of Education were being paid more than junior teachers, President Jagdeo had made a commitment raise the junior teachers' salaries over a three-year period.
In 2001, during negotiations for 2001 salaries, the GTU under the chairmanship of the late president, Bertram Hamilton had recommended increases ranging from six per cent in the higher categories to 16% in the lower categories. This was based on an additional $80M the government had allocated to the 5.5% across the board salary increase paid to public servants. In spite of this $80M, the junior teachers still received salaries below that of the traditional public servant.
While the issue at stake boiled down to increases in salaries for 2002, the GTU initially said there were other outstanding issues such as Whitley Council leave allowance, the hardlying allowance, remuneration for additional qualifications and house lots for teachers.
The ministry has said these issues were already being dealt with.
The strike action has been effective with the majority of the city schools closed and most in other parts of the country shut down.
As the strike entered its seventh day, indications yesterday were that teachers were trickling back to some schools that had been completely shut down during the first two weeks of the strike. Reports from Region Seven, with the exception of Bartica, were that some schools were partially opened yesterday, while others were fully open.
A survey at secondary and primary schools in the city yesterday afternoon mostly found students preparing to sit the SSEE and CXC examinations.
The situation was the same at nearly all of the secondary schools including Queens College, St Joseph High, the North and East Ruimveldt Secondary schools and Christ Church Secondary. Attendance comprised mostly of CXC students and teachers who were preparing them for the May/June exams. The atmosphere was however informal as some students were out of uniform.
At Richard Ishmael and the Government Technical Institute, attendance was minimal at best. At GTI, when asked whether teachers were in attendance, one student remarked that teachers were present, but it was students who had not appeared. And he said they had heard of the strike and had not expected teachers to show up for classes. And at the New Campbellville Secondary, one CXC student reported that while students preparing to sit the examination had been present, teachers opted not to teach and instead just sat around. Students of lower forms were meanwhile instructed to return home.
Stabroek News also visited the St Margaret's, North Georgetown, St Agnes, F.E. Pollard, Tucville and Redeemer primary schools, where as in the secondary schools most of the teachers who did show up for work only catered for SSEE students. At St Agnes, where some of the students were not in uniform, Stabroek News was told that the teachers who had appeared, did so out of concern for the examination students and that no formal classes were in session owing to the now extended strike.
Redeemer Primary was however one exception to the rule, where it was reported turnout was good at all the form levels, though classes were dismissed by 1:30 pm.
Ally told Stabroek News that the ministry had received complaints from some teachers who reported that they had been locked out of schools. He advised those teachers to report to their respective education departments where provision would be in place for such teachers to record being on the job.
He noted that ill health was the main excuse teachers had sent in for their absence from school for the first week of the strike.
Some schools on the East Coast and East Bank Demerara, West Coast Demerara and Essequibo Islands, the Essequibo Coast, Corentyne and in the riverain areas in the Barima/Waini Region as well as the Rupununi were opened during the strike period though in some cases no classes were held because of the absence of teachers. In the deep riverain areas, Stabroek News understands that the strike had no effect as classes were conducted as usual.
Meanwhile, teachers in Georgetown were yesterday still awaiting the payment of salaries for March. A Ministry of Education official told this newspaper that the pay sheets had been made available to the schools and teachers would be paid today.
Striking teachers, already paid their salaries, have been paid in full but it is expected that deductions from their salaries for the days they were on strike would be made over a period of time. (Miranda La Rose and Andre Haynes)