Govt wants international pacts considered in arbitration
-teachers union opposed
Stabroek News
July 20, 2004
The government wants wage arbitration talks to take cognisance of international agreements it has concluded but the teachers union is not in agreement and the Minister of Labour is to be approached to help break the impasse.
Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Dr Dale Bisnauth yesterday told Stabroek News that he has only heard of the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) expressed desire to meet with him through a section of the media but he has not been formally notified. He said that if he has to meet with the GTU he first has to know what the concerns were.
According to the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Mohamed Akeel the bone of contention is the education ministry's proposal to include in the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) that the arbitration panel take into consideration government's agreements with international agencies.
GTU President Avril Crawford told Stabroek News yesterday that the GTU disagreed with the proposal put forward at the meeting held on July 8 as it would immediately prejudice the negotiations.
Crawford said that the country's economic and financial status and agreements with international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and others could be used at the tribunal hearings to justify the arguments but should not be spelt out in the TOR.
Since no agreement could be reached under the auspices of the Chief Labour Officer, Crawford said that the GTU expressed to the CLO the GTU's desire to confer with the Minister of Labour on the issue. Since that meeting was held almost two weeks ago, Crawford said that the union has not heard from the Ministry of Labour.
The GTU has rejected a 3% increase on teachers' salaries for this year and is currently seeking a resolution of the issue by going to arbitration since talks at the bilateral level and between the parties at the conciliation level have failed.
The parties are to agree on the TOR as well as on a candidate to chair the panel. Both the GTU and the ministry have already submitted names for a possible candidate.
Once the TOR is agreed the next step would be to select the chairman of the panel. (Miranda La Rose)