The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is waiting until Thursday, May Day, for a response from the Ministry of Labour to the findings and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the issue of 2002 salary increases before deciding on further industrial action.
Meanwhile the GTU is protesting the full deduction of salaries from those teachers who took strike action in March. In some cases the deduction amounted to 12 days or $20,000 to $30,000.
The GTU has also announced that it is in the process of setting up a strike relief fund and it is expected that teachers would begin to benefit from this fund within another two weeks.
At a press conference held at the newly renamed Bertram Hamilton Auditorium on Woolford Avenue yesterday, GTU Administrator/Field Officer Lancelot Baptiste told the media that the GTU’s Annual Delegates Conference had mandated the GTU executive to take whatever actions necessary to deal with the impasse between the Ministry of Education and the GTU. He said the teachers had promised to throw their weight behind the union.
Baptiste said that if that meant teachers would continue to stay away from school then they would be asked to do so. But he cautioned that such a decision would only be taken on Thursday.
Meanwhile, he urged teachers to come out to join the May Day Workers’ Parade.
The Advisory Committee is headed by Dr Martin Boodhoo and was set up by Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security Dr Dale Bisnauth to inquire into the dispute that led to the majority of the country’s teachers taking industrial action for 12 days last term. It submitted its report last week to Prime Minister Sam Hinds in the absence of Dr Bisnauth, who is currently out of the country.
The union and the education ministry had put forward their cases to the Advisory Committee.
The committee was set up after talks at conciliation between the union and the Ministry of Education on salary increases for 2002 had broken down. The union has insisted on going to arbitration to resolve the matter while the ministry has said that having already paid salary increases for 2002 it would not go to arbitration.
Salary increases, ranging from 15% to the lower categories of teachers to 5% in the higher categories were paid by the ministry in January.
On the issue of the deduction of payment for the month of March in some teachers’ April pay cheques, Baptiste said that the GTU was disappointed at the manner in which the deductions were made. While some administrative regions had paid salaries in full, he noted that based on reports deductions were made in Georgetown and Regions Three, Six, Seven and Eight.
He noted that some teachers who were granted leave to attend the University of Guyana had their salaries deducted and were recorded as being on strike. He said payment was also deducted from a teacher who was granted Whitley Council leave. The deductions varied from region to region and school to school. Deductions were also made in some schools in Region Four (Demerara/ Mahaica).
Permanent Secretary Hydar Ally had said that such cases might have arisen but had added that these would be sorted out.
Baptiste contended that this sorting out might take some months.
The establishment of the strike relief fund was decided on at the GTU annual delegates conference last week. GTU First Vice President, Phillip Roberts said that the “long overdue fund” would be financed from GTU funds.
However, he noted that a number of public minded-persons had indicated their interest in providing assistance including material items.
The relief fund, to cushion the effects of the strike action, would take care of 30% to 50% of the pay a teacher loses during the period of strike. (Miranda La Rose)