-Education Ministry warns of legal action if teachers strike

-GTU calls on newly appointed chair to recuse himself from the process

-Union to consult membership on way forward

The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) was a no show at Wednesday’s meeting scheduled with the Ministries of Education and Social Protection to finalize and sign the Terms of Reference for arbitration.

GTU President Mark Lyte confirmed by telephone that the union would not attend the meeting.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Education Ministry noted that the GTU, by agreeing to arbitration, has committed to not partake in any form of industrial action, in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement signed in July 1983 regarding the settling and avoidance of disputes.

On Tuesday it was reported that the Ministry of Social Protection has appointed University of Guyana (UG) Professor Dr. Leyland Lucas as the Chairman of the arbitration panel, to decide on salary increases for teachers .

However, on Tuesday during a meeting between the two sides, the GTU President and General Secretary Coretta McDonald stated that their union needs to carefully assess the qualifications of Lucas before they are willing to move forward.

On Wednesday , the union noted in a statement on Wednesday that a chairman cannot be appointed unless consent is obtained from both parties.It called on Dr Lucas to recuse himself from the process noting that the process was not in accordance with industrial relations practices, laws and time-honoured principles. The ununio said it will consult with its membership on the way forward.

McDonald said on Tuesday Ministry’s Department of Labour through Minister Keith Scott, is seeking to manipulate the GTU into making a decision.“What we recognise is that the minister with responsibility for labour, he is trying to bully this process into saying to the GTU ‘this is our prerogative to appoint and we have done so, and this is your chairperson’,” she said, adding: “All the GTU is saying to the minister [is that] we need some time to look at Professor Lucas to see what he’s bringing to the table, before the GTU can agree on who will be our chairperson, but the Department of Labour is bent on attempting to bully the GTU and we will not take that.”

Minister Scott, however, defended the department’s position on appointing a chairman to lead the arbitration panel noting that the law allows this process.

This news story will be updated with additional details as they unfold.