UG administration, unions back to drawing board

The University of Guyana (UG) administration and the unions representing workers of the institution will recommence negotiations, following an impasse over wages and salaries for 2018.

This was disclosed to the Guyana Chronicle by UG Public Relations Officer (PRO), Paulette Paul on Tuesday.

According to Paul, who read a prepared statement, the recommencement of negotiations will be held on Thursday between representatives of the UG administration, the unions and the three-member team of the UG Council.
“The resumption of talks was brokered by Pro-Chancellor, Major General (retired) Joe Singh,” Paul said.
The University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) had protested at the Turkeyen Campus, with members calling for a financial audit to be done at the institution.

They claimed that funds are being misappropriated, instead of being used to develop the teaching space.
This protest was also done because the unions did not accept the three per cent salary increase for UA (academic) staff, and a four per cent increase for UB (support) staff that was imposed last November and retroactive to January 1, 2018.
The university had stated that it cannot afford further increases and had asked the unions to act responsibly.
“It is the administration’s expectation that in the interest of our primary stakeholders, namely our students, that there will be a speedy resolution in the interest of all concerned,” the university said in a release on Sunday.

In light of the impasse, the Department of Labour, through the Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle last week convened a conciliation meeting.
The unions shared with the Guyana Chronicle that they were not prepared for the conciliation process because the financial statements presented by the UG administration were allegedly not accurate.

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