– say some Linden teachers; not in agreement with calls to strike

AS teachers countrywide prepare to participate in strike action starting next Monday, which will run until further notice, some teachers in Linden believe that the proposals presented by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) are exorbitant and unreasonable.

The GTU has proposed an across-the-board increase in salary of 40 per cent for 2016; 45 per cent in 2017; and 50 per cent in 2018, 2019 and 2020 be granted to all categories of teachers and teacher educators for the years 2016-2020.

The teachers, fearing they will be stigmatised since the majority is in favour of the strike action as was expressed at the Linden outreach last Tuesday which saw over 300 teachers present, preferred their names to be withheld.

One Mackenzie High School (MHS) teacher described the proposals as unreasonable and said she believes the Government genuinely cannot afford to meet the proposed sums. She said that she has been in the system since 2013 and believes that a noticeable effort was made by the Government since 2015 to increase teachers’ salaries with a 17 per cent increase over the last three years.

“I believe that the GTU is being unreasonable and I am just hearing one side of the story. Everyone is focussing on GTU, no one is focussing on the teachers and how they really feel. I for one is not in agreement. In 2015, I got $50, 000 in December, I never had that before and I felt so nice about it,” the teacher noted.

Another nursery school teacher said her headteacher will be handing over the keys of the school to the Education Department as was proposed by GTU but she is not in favour of this move, since it is as if the HM’s will be unilaterally deciding for the rest of the staff, whether they should strike or not strike.

NOT FAIR

“When the teachers hand over the keys, what will happen to the teachers who made a decision not to strike, the HM cannot decide for all, I believe that the school should be left open and teachers should decide if they want to strike or not,” she noted. Some teachers cannot strike for religious reasons and therefore, it would be discrimination against one’s right, if they are not allowed into the building.

Many teachers continue to express their concerns about their salaries being withheld since they have monthly commitments to make. GTU President Mark Lyte said the GTU cannot promise strike relief but he will be filing an injunction against the Government for teachers’ salaries to not be withheld since it is their constitutional right to strike.

“If one month’s salary is withheld for me, the amount of back debt I will have is unimaginable, I have no one else supporting me and I cannot afford to strike, so come Monday morning early, I will be at school,” another Mackenzie High teacher noted.

Lyte believes that the demands of the GTU are not unreasonable since the two parties were at the negotiating table since 2016. He also believes that the figures presented by Government are not reasonable for teachers. The Government allocated $700M to facilitate salary increases for teachers, in addition to $200 million to address de-bunching for the year 2018.

In an invited comment, Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, who is also a teacher by profession, said he believes that teachers should be rewarded significantly for contributing to the development of this country and this reward should be more than the five per cent annual increase that was inked with the GTU and the previous administration. He described the Government’s stride to enhance teacher’s salaries since 2016 with the $50,000 bonus in 2015, $25,000 and the increases in 2016 and 2017 as significant compared to previous years.

EXORBITANT PROPOSALS
He, however, does not agree with the exorbitant propositions of the GTU.
“As a teacher for over 18 years and a former union chairman and General Council representative of the GTU, I’m perplexed and discombobulated with my union’s negotiations skills. Even our members are questioning these proposed figures 40 per cent, 45 per cent and 50 per cent for the respective years is nothing but astonishing. In my personal view there is no reasonableness is those numbers. Those aim for the stars and hopefully fall on the clouds type of negotiation is not for the real world,” Figueira said. He reasoned: “One has to factor in the economic realities of the country, the other sectors with public servants, cost of living and so many other supporting elements and factors when you are negotiating. I would have been satisfied if my union played a better focus on none taxable benefits and other things that will tangibly benefit our teachers. Increased uniform allowances, increase for a degree, post- graduate, masters, house lots, duty-free vehicle concessions for more categories of teachers and include those who may not be in a senior position but service the nation for 10-15 years, increased risk allowances etc. I believe teachers would happily accept a 12 to 15 per cent tomorrow if it is given alone with other non- taxable benefits.”

He said he supports better wages for teachers and better working conditions as well as the right to partake in industrial action but believes that if the percentages are granted, it will devastate the country’s economy and other sectors will feel the squeeze.