TOMORROW some teachers will start trickling back into schools across the country after being away from class for two weeks since the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) began strike-action against the ruling PPP/C Administration. Others who are determined to get tied up in opportune politics and political shenanigans in the lead-up to the 2025 election, will continue on the streets and will be on strike indefinitely.

What is sure is that the GTU will argue its case before the courts to seek to stop the PPP/C Administration from making subtractions from the teachers’ March salaries for being away from the classrooms, and joining in what it calls an illegal and political strike.

So far, the government has shown no signs of weakness and caving in. It also hardened its resolve to not meet with the union and engage the striking teachers while they are engaged in a full-blown industrial action, albeit illegal, given the untrue rhetoric and false narratives spread by the GTU and its political ‘sponsors’.

The government is choosing to stand on the side of the law, legality and the constitution, and is ready to fearlessly and passionately defend its actions in court if it needs to. This government is also hardening its resolve to prove a political point to the GTU, which is being egged on by the opposition PNC/R-APNU/AFC political grouping, that it has no desire to surrender or give in to illegality, spiteful and unreasonable demands.

It is showing the political heads behind this strike that they are unmasking the true motive of so-called industrial action, which is to use a segment of the labour force or trade unions to cripple the government, thereby setting it back and withholding the development of the nation’s education sector.

Also, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday last announced that the government, through the Ministry of Education, may have to seriously consider exploring online methods that will ensure that students are provided with tuition and benefit from being actively engaged in learning. This, he said, is not entirely new as during the COVID-19 period when online teaching was the order of the day, most teachers did not teach but were still paid.

Jagdeo said if the strike continues, Guyana may have to do like most of the world and look at “a hybrid system of looking more at online methods and a combination of the classroom…, We have started preparing the material etc…We may have to find alternate ways of ensuring that our children are educated.”

This is part and parcel of the government’s hardened resolve and disdain for the political bosses of the GTU, who only seek self-aggrandisement at the expense of the striking teachers, and children.

Firstly, nothing has been accomplished by the Union since February 5 to 18.

The GTU has called out its teachers and engaged in street politics and shenanigans. It has miscalculated its hand and was grossly misled by its General Secretary, Coretta McDonald.
McDonald has abused her position. She has misled teachers to think that if they strike or protest, it would move the government and force them back to the table. It did not accomplish this goal but led to a much more hardened government stance.

Teachers are not richer or better off than when they joined the picket line. If anything, sadly, they will pay if the government goes through with the deduction of their salaries for days of illegal strike action.

This strike has not even caught the attention of the government or elicited the type of bureaucratic response it should have gotten had it come at the end of a breakdown of talks and negotiations. The union walked away and ran into the PNC/APNU/AFC’s arms which is gearing up for elections next year.

Teachers have a just cause, and rightfully so, but this cause cannot be respected by all right-thinking Guyanese because the teachers did not follow the process before engaging in the action.
McDonald is like the snake oil salesman and the teachers, though intelligent, were misled into thinking their problems could be remedied in this manner.

Secondly, the whole exercise is futile and teachers are looking crazy in the hot sun and streets while the usual politicians, who show up at ‘any rally’ or ‘picket or protest’ to get the limelight and cheap fame, are happy and contented with the outcome.

After all, the opposition politicians McDonald, Gary Best, Nima Flu-Bess, Darren Wade, Jermaine Figuera, Venessa Kissoon, Simona Broomes, Dawn Hasting-Williams, and others were not concerned about teachers when they were in government nor did they respect the collective bargaining process. They did not care about the conditions of teachers’ work nor did any of them make representation for teachers when Keith Scott said that striking teachers were “selfish, and uncaring”.

So, what gives? How come they are on the picket line giving interviews and criticisms of the government now?

It suits the opposition’s false narrative of racism, discrimination and violence. It’s playing politics and getting the labour union riddled up. All the other union leaders who present on the picket line are anti-development proponents and anti-PPP. The public knows Norris Witter, and Lincoln Lewis from the damage they engineered on Bauxite Workers and trade unionism in Guyana during the 80’s and early 90’s. So, they are political jokers who will not help the teachers in their fight.

Finally, GTU plans to test the government and bring it to its knees with the help of the teachers and other unsuspecting public servants while the government has shown that it will not yield to political pressure.

The education budget has grown by 162 per cent since 2020. Salaries of teachers have moved up from $24.4 billion in 2020 to $39.4 billion in 2023, representing a $15 billion increase or a 61.4 per cent increase in the allocation.

Teachers’ working conditions have seen more quantitative improvement from 2020 to 2023 than achieved by PNC/APNU/AFC Administration during the period 2015 to 2020.

The PPP/C Administration is working aggressively to bring further relief to not just teachers but all workers. For this reason alone, any sensible Guyanese should trust and be patient while the government labours for sustained salaries of the public working population.

Getting involved in opportune opposition politics is not the answer or striking against the government while they are engaging in labour talks is not the answer. The government will not engage the GTU while it is striking.

GTU must have a conscience as it expects the same from the government. It must take the concerns and criticisms of the government on board and address its issues with accountability and transparency of its finances as well as membership. It must open itself to the Auditor General and make things right with the Deeds Registry.

Then, it must save face and reveal the true motive of this strike which is political and sinister, before it gets the opportunity to negotiate with the government.

Right-thinking teachers demand it. Parents and children demand it or the hardened resolve of government will continue right into gridlock.