…only 12 heads out of 1000 schools hand in keys

EVEN as hundreds of teachers countrywide embarked on an indefinite strike action picketing for salary increases and other benefits, many others were found present at schools preparing for the new school term.

On Monday morning bright and early, as planned, teachers took to the streets in protest even as Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the Government are yet to hammer out their differences at conciliation talks. The industrial action pre-planned for August 27 comes after the parties failed to arrive at a consensus primarily on the Government’s proposed $700M to facilitate salary increases and $200 million to address de-bunching for 2018.
The GTU instead proposes an across-the-board increase in salary of 40 per cent for 2016 and incremental increases of five per cent in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, to be granted to all categories of teachers and teacher educators. Although the GTU and the government engaged in follow-up deliberations on the matter, the union has refused to budge from its proposal.

40 PER CENT OR NOTHING
On Monday, flanked by a group of on strike Georgetown district teachers at the Education Ministry on Brickdam, GTU President Mark Lyte once again held up that the teachers’ demand of 40 per cent must be met or the strike will continue. “In the past we have tried to negotiate and people brought ballpark figures not percentages, so right now the teachers are demanding increase on their 2015 salaries, they will move for nothing less than 40 per cent since we have to go through this,” he said.

During a previous meeting with the GTU and other executives, Education Minister Nicolette Henry stated that the ballpark figure put forward by Government is the one which it can presently afford.

However, in turning down this offer the GTU maintains that the Government can afford more. The body was a no-show at the most recent arrangement of a conciliation meeting by the Ministry of Social Protection that was scheduled for Friday, August 24 at 14:00hrs at the ministry’s boardroom.

The Education Ministry was present and was prepared to participate but, due to the absence of the union, the meeting was adjourned to Tuesday (today) at 14:00hrs. When questioned about the union’s absence, Lyte said that the ministries were acting unprofessionally and without consideration of the union’s availability.

“The meeting that we were invited to, the invitation actually arrived [at] 9:20 on Friday last. They’re claiming that they gave us a notice the day before but that was way after work hours….we couldn’t show up and we had a planned agenda to be in Berbice on that day.

“Secondly, we have received another invitation for tomorrow when we have General Council planned and the next day we have our Executive Council meeting, so no one has taken into consideration what the schedule of the union [is] but we are being invited to meetings,” Lyte said.

He added that teachers from interior locations have already made travels for the meeting and, although the GTU is willing to abide by the laws for conciliation meetings, due to ill-planning Tuesday’s (today) invitation would have to be rescheduled.

TEACHERS PROTEST

At the arranged General Council meeting today, the GTU is also set to discuss the concerns of teachers who fear that they will not be paid for the duration of their participation in the strike.

In the meantime, nursery, primary and secondary school teachers all the way in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), on Monday morning peacefully protested in front of the Department of Education building at Cotton Field.

They chanted: “Teachers deserve better, pay us our cash we don’t want a clash” and marched from the department to the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary (ARMS) school; the Regional Democratic Council building and back. They were led by Headmistress of Suddie Primary, Cheril Peters Moore and General Council representative Shindi Paul.
Across in Linden, over 100 teachers from nursery, primary and secondary schools commenced their planned strike action with a picketing exercise on the Mackenzie shore. The picket commenced at the head of Republic Avenue and ended at the Department of Education, as teachers marched chanting “Jesus is the first teacher, show some respect,” and “Tired of the stress, no money, no work”.

DIVISION AMONG TEACHERS
According to GTU Region 10 representative, Ferdinand Mcleod, some head teachers who picketed then lodged their school’s keys at the Department of Education. They are following the GTU’s proposal made weeks prior to the strike for head teachers to hand over keys to their schools to Education Departments.

However, not all head teachers, especially those in objection to the strike action, have been adhering to these urges from the GTU. According to the Education Ministry Senior Public Relations Officer, Brushell Blackman, with close to 1000 schools in the country, prior to Monday only 12 head teachers countrywide had submitted their school keys.

These were categorised as four from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); one from Region One (Barima Waini) and seven from the Berbice region.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited schools in Region Four, such as the Tutorial High School, the head teacher (ag) David Sam said that things were going as per normal even as several parents were seen participating in the registration/orientation period.

“Some parents have expressed concerns as they want to know if the programme will be as per normal but so far the teachers are here, the teachers are working,” he said, adding: “I haven’t handed in any keys as yet…the Ministry has a programme and the commencement of the new terms starts this week for teachers and the next week for students so we’re going with the programme.”

Sam said that the school, however, would not be penalising any teacher that decides to strike in support of the union but thus far, there has been a very good turnout of teachers preparing themselves for the next week.

Meanwhile, head teacher at the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, Melanie Jones, told the newspaper that the school’s keys were not handed over as she believes that the government genuinely cannot afford the GTU-proposed sum. “I’m not striking because I honestly believe that the government has those extra resources to pay teachers and to pay us on a sustainable level. We’re not a rich country. I’ve looked at other past governments and we’ve never had any huge percentage.

“We’ve had five per cent for the past five years with the last government and with this government, for me, we still have not reached that stage where we have money. So, hopefully, with the oil coming in, we should be able to afford to give teachers a better salary increase,” she positioned.

Meanwhile, even as the protesting teachers from Georgetown wrapped up their demonstrations at the front of the Ministry of the Presidency, Lyte said that Monday’s public strike action signaled the launching of the industrial action.

He added that the public demonstrations are not set to continue but the GTU now awaits a change in the decision of the Education Ministry in favour of the union’s proposal on salary increases and other benefits. (Additional reporting by Vanessa Braithwaite and Indrawattie Natram)