The Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) has reaffirmed the union's commitment to call off the strike within 72 hours of Monday's signing, noting that the union expects teachers to return to work no later than tomorrow.
Union President, Sydney Murdock told reporters yesterday that the interim period between the signing and the full return to work was necessitated by those teachers who work out of their living areas, such as in other regions or those who may have gone on vacation.
Murdock on Monday had told Stabroek News that following the signing of the agreement, teachers would return to work from as early as yesterday and would be out in full force by Friday.
A survey conducted by Stabroek News at a number of schools around the city yesterday revealed little improvement in student attendance while some teachers had turned up for work.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Hydar Ally, told Stabroek News that there had been an overall improvement in attendance but noted that parents, to a great extent, had decided not to send their children to school. He noted this was affecting the ability of the ministry to monitor teacher attendance in the classroom. He noted that in some instances, as was the case at the Campbellville Secondary, he said teachers had turned out while the students had not.
Stabroek News spoke with some parents who said they were apprehensive over sending their children to school until the expiration of the 72-hour deadline.
Meanwhile the union is calling upon the ministry to redress the situation of salary deductions being made from teachers for the days they were on strike.
According to the union, this is being done in contravention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention and may constitute a breach of the Terms of Resumption which were agreed upon by the two parties.
Murdock said it had come to the GTU's attention that instructions had been given to accounting units in the various administrative regions to make the deductions for striking days.
He said it had been agreed upon in the terms of resumption that "deductions from salaries would be made in keeping with standing principles existing in the system for dealing with such issues..." and further, that the necessary directive to this effect be sent by the Ministry to the regional education officers by Monday.
GTU First Vice President, Philip Roberts, said because of the protracted nature of the strike no official absent returns were submitted, with regards to the deductions for striking days. As a result deductions could be made incorrectly from teachers who were legitimately on leave during the industrial action or even those who did not take part in the strike.
"I and the GTU would be very disappointed if there has to be a breach in Terms of Resumption at this early stage and that efforts would be made to correct this situation," Murdock said, while adding that many schools were still closed yesterday because many teachers still had reservations with regard to promises made by the ministry.
The Terms of Resumption stipulate that the GTU is not precluded from resuming strike action, if there is any breach of the agreement.
Ally confirmed yesterday that deductions were being made. However, he said he was in the process of finding out from the accounting department the basis for the deductions and how they were being made.
The five-week strike was as a result of the Ministry of Education's imposition of a salary increase on teachers at the end of 2002. This was rejected by the union which had been lobbying for a 15% across-the-board increase for both trained and untrained teachers. The Ministry has since settled on the 15% increase for untrained teachers, bringing their pay scale on par with the minimum wage of the traditional public servant. With the signing of the Terms of Resumption on Monday, the union and the ministry will re-enter negotiations over 2002 salaries for trained teachers, while also brokering a salary agreement for 2003-2004.