DESPITE the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) demand for a strike, a majority of educators across the country showed up for work on Monday.
Teachers are on strike, according to the GTU, because the government would not meet with the union on several issues, including negotiations on wages, salaries, allowances, and other benefits for teachers.

This is despite the fact that the Ministry of Education has satisfied more than half of the 41 proposals made by the GTU for better working conditions in just three years.
Government officials have also challenged the union’s claims by highlighting that discussions are ongoing to satisfy other requests.

The strike actions come when students are preparing for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

While there are thousands of teachers in Georgetown, less than 100 of them staged a protest in front of the Education Ministry’s Brickdam, Georgetown headquarters, on Monday, calling on the government to stop violating workers’ rights.
GTU’s President Mark Lyte, General Secretary of the GTU, Opposition Parliamentarian Coretta McDonald, and executives of the union led the protest.

There were also small groups of protesters around other parts of the country, many of whom were not teachers but traditional supporters of the APNU+AFC who would usually be on the frontline for the party.
Through its Facebook page, the Education Ministry shared updates on the industrial action, stating that 95 per cent of the teachers at various schools showed up for work.

“St. Margaret’s Primary School more than 90 per cent of teachers present. We thank you for your commitment to service to our children and our Guyana,” said the ministry in one of its posts.

St. Margaret’s Primary School is located on Camp Street in Georgetown. The ministry also posted a photograph of a filled classroom at The Bishops’ High School with the caption, “Bishops’ High School! We thank you for your commitment to service to our children and our Guyana!”

Every teacher at Bell West Primary School in West Bank Demerara (WBD) reported for duty, according to the Education Ministry. The ministry also posted on Facebook to express gratitude to the teachers at this school for their commitment, saying, “A brief meeting was held to show our appreciation for their dedication towards the nation’s children.”

Additionally, according to the ministry, student teachers from Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown’s Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) showed up for their first day of instruction on Monday.
It stated that educators from Region One (Barima-Waini) showed up to take the English Proficiency 1 Final Examination for Semester 1.

As far as the Guyana Chronicle is aware, all of the teachers of the Number 56 Nursery School and the Number 56 Primary School in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) showed up in full.

Meanwhile, armed with placards outside the Education Ministry’s Brickdam Head Office, teachers called for salary increases and more benefits, including duty-free concessions.
The Labour Ministry had said that the strike action was unlawful a few days before it began.

“To be clear, the MoE (Ministry of Education) has received advice from the Ministry of Labour, the experts on this issue, that conditions for strike action have not been met as a result of which any such strike would be wholly illegal and unlawful,” said Chief Education Officer (CEO), Saddam Hussain, in a letter to teachers.

The GTU has been told that the industrial action by the teachers violates the memorandum of agreement signed between the union and the Ministry of Education.

In posts on her social media page, Education Minister Priya Manickchand pointed out that while she has said openly that teachers have a right to strike, the union, along with opposition members, have been bullying and trying to embarrass teachers who have chosen not to strike.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said it received calls on Monday morning relative to the planned teacher strike action, indicating that persons are being intimidated and threatened.
The GPF said it takes these reports seriously and will investigate them.

The duration of the strike is unknown, but the Education Ministry has issued a warning that headteachers are not permitted to lock down schools. Following reports of teachers being refused access to school compounds, this warning has been issued.

According to the ministry, the closing of schools is the responsibility of the CEO, not a headteacher or representative of the GTU. “Any headteacher who is found to be in breach of these rules will be held accountable and will be referred to the Teaching Service Commission/School Boards Secretariat for disciplinary action.”

Minister Manickchand visited Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Monday to give out the School’s Supplies Cash Grant, which enables teachers to buy their own office, field, and cleaning supplies. While attending the Anna Regina Multilateral School, she resolved several concerns and gave over $12M to be used for the procurement of supplies and materials for the next two terms.