–agrees to accept interim salary increases

AN hour-long meeting between President David Granger and executives of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) on Monday has ended on a positive note.

The good news is that the meeting ended with the union being persuaded to call off the two-day industrial action it had planned for later this week.

Following their meeting at State House with the President, the GTU announced that the exchange had borne fruit and will see results as soon as Wednesday, in the establishment of a high-level task force. Also involved in the parley was Minister of Education, Ms Nicolette Henry.

Executives have also agreed to accept salary increases between six and eight per cent until further negotiations are made at the level of the task force.

GTU General Secretary, Ms Coretta McDonald told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday that the meeting with the president has brought some semblance of assurance to the negotiation between the government and the union.

The Task Force will hold its first meeting to establish timelines for its meetings and the completion of its work. The Union has agreed to provide a complete dossier of its financial and non-financial submissions by this Wednesday.

The president has proposed that the discussions take a holistic view of the improvements that have been made in the education sector, while the Task Force will also take into account the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Education Sector in Guyana and other matters relating to the wellbeing of teachers and students.

In the meantime, teachers will enjoy an interim salary increase ranging from six to eight per cent, retroactive to January 1, 2017.
In a joint press statement on Monday, the Ministry of the Presidency confirmed that the President did meet with the GTU to discuss the way forward with regard to their negotiations, and that during the meeting, the two sides agreed to the establishment of a High-Level Task Force, comprising of representatives from the Ministries of Education, Finance, Communities, Public Service and Presidency and representatives from the Union.

According to the release, Minister Henry has consented to taking the issue of the composition of the Task Force to Cabinet today.

Last Friday, President Granger stepped in after a furor by the GTU about its unfruitful meeting with Education Minister and her team last Thursday. Minister of State Joseph Harmon had met with the union’s executive and had expressed that the president was concerned about the state of affairs regarding the negotiations between the union and the government. He had said that the meeting between the GTU and Minister of Education Nicolette Henry on Thursday was never intended to be the final position of the administration but an interim arrangement.

Minister Harmon in response alluded to his most recent pronouncement on the matter at his post Cabinet press briefing where he indicated that the issues regarding increased salaries for teachers were being considered by Government in the form of a Multi-Year Proposal submitted by the GTU.