A JOINT statement from the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union (UGWU), said that the administration of the University of Guyana (UG) has brought the University “to the brink of another crisis as it refuses to engage the University Unions on issues of deep importance to workers.”

According to the joint statement, the University Unions have been attempting to negotiate with the administration on a range of matters since February 2018. “These negotiations have gone nowhere. Additionally, the unions are deeply concerned about the state of the university’s finances, and about the administration’s violations of the university’s statutes and procedures.”

It said that after negotiations with the UG administration stalled because of the failure to agree on an agenda, the unions took the matter to the Department of Labour in August 2018. The administration did not agree to the conciliation meeting scheduled for October 25th 2018, but had informed the department that the negotiations were not stalled.

The unions in a letter to the Department of Labour regarding the lack of progress in the negotiations stated, “The Unions have observed that the administration is failing to provide the University’s Council with clear and straightforward information about the state of the University’s finances. This perhaps explains their reluctance to engage in negotiations with the Unions about matters which involve money, since they would have to reveal the University’s true financial situation.”

The statement pointed out that the administration has been trying to prevent the council from hearing “about the ways in which it has been violating the University’s statutes and procedures, and in the process opening up the institution to claims of discrimination.”

Noting that the University’s Annual Business Meeting was held on Thursday November 8th and the concerns of the unions were not allowed to be part of the agenda, the statement said that previous attempt by the unions to have the council discuss them at an extraordinary meeting on October 3rd, was thwarted when the vice chancellor left to deal with an ‘emergency’ and asked that they not be discussed in his absence.

According to unions, they have been trying to place the concerned matters before Council since July 2nd 2018, and that a request for space on the agenda of the council meeting which was held on July 27th was denied.

“It is clear that the administration has no regard, whatsoever, for the persons who keep the University running. The University Unions have been very patient about this situation, but the time for patience is at an end,” the unions’ joint statement added.