THE current wages and salaries multi-year agreement is slated to end in December, and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is already making big demands as the Ministry of Education and the union head into new negotiations. During the Bharat Jagdeo Administration, the then Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh in 2011 had negotiated a multi-year salaries and wages agreement. The agreement, apart from the yearly five percent salary increase for teachers, included a host of other non-salary benefits.
The agreement sought to address an anomaly that has been existing for years: teachers who have been in the system for years receiving the same salary of a teacher of the same status, who has recently joined the profession. Hence, the implementation of the “debunching” payments, where-by teachers would be allocated according to qualifications.
According to President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mark Lyte, this aspect of the agreement has never materialised as teachers have never received this benefit. The GTU on several occasions had taken industrial action against this in the past.
“Debunching” payments will then be prioritised and will act as one of the GTU’s big demands in the new agreement, apart from salary increases.
Annually, as outlined in the current agreement, teachers are to receive a five percent salary increase. Lyte asserted that this increase has not been received this year. As president of the union, Lyte has been advocating salary increases since assuming office.
This five percent, he said, is not sufficient for any teacher; as such, the GTU expects to negotiate with the new Administration, a possible 25-35% increase in salaries.
The present agreement also states that teachers are to receive an annual clothing allowance of $8,000 per annum. This has also faced a similar fate to that of the five percent increase that was to be received this year, given the recent elections and an unissued budget. The new agreement will therefore call for an increase in the clothing allowance, given that cost of living at present, is high.
Given the supposedly annual allocation of $40M for the Housing Revolving Fund for the next five years to facilitate the construction of houses for teachers as outlined in the current agreement, this along with “debunching” payments, the clothing allowance and salary increase, has not been received.
Lyte proclaimed that only a few teachers would have benefited from this aspect of the agreement. As such, the GTU will negotiate for this in its new multi-year agreement, as well as duty-free concessions for not only headteachers, but also for Senior Masters and Heads of Department as well as senior lecturers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).
Also to be negotiated for the new agreement is a 150% increase in station allowances and hardlying allowances, so that teachers from the hinterland can move freely to the coastland, and vice versa.
The GTU is contemplating to establish a three -year wages and salaries agreement instead of a five- year one, so that the union can act upon constant changes within that timeframe.