–President Ali says, as government’s calls vindicated by decision for GTU, authorities to return to talks
FOLLOWING the action undertaken by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) to discontinue scheduled talks, and instead orchestrate a nationwide strike, a mediation process ordered by the High Court has ended in an agreement that the GTU will call off the strike and return to talks with the government.
Despite the attempts by powerholders within the union to paint the government in a bad light, it was previously revealed that two weeks after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office to January 31, 2024, there have been over 25 meetings with the GTU.
And, in keeping with such, the mandate specifies that talks will take place 48 hours after work resumes and will cover any topics that either side believes should be discussed between the union and the government, including financial matters.
The GTU has been struggling to keep its footing for many years, given the immense scrutiny of its management. Since the commencement of the strike action on February 5, within the past five weeks, the Union has been standing on shaky foundation.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who has been consistently reminding the nation’s educators of his government’s commitment to improving the lives of all, said in a Facebook post on Monday evening that the order mandated by the Court is what the government has been maintaining from the start.
“Exactly what I have been saying all along! No different! Return to work and allow the process that was ongoing to continue. Why was this so difficult? The same request the Ministry of Education and Government have been making continuously. As a responsible Government, we will continue to work in the interest of all workers,” the post read.
The GTU and the government reached a mutual agreement on Monday afternoon to have striking teachers return to their classrooms by Wednesday, March 6.
It was further stated that the talks would go on for “a reasonable period of time”, and would occur at the Ministry of Education (MoE)’s Brickdam office.
In a brief statement on Monday, the Ministry of Education duly informed the public that on March 6, 2024, teachers will return to the classroom and resume teaching as was mandated by the High Court mediation process.
“The Ministry of Education welcomes this decision, even as it notes that it is unfortunate that this matter had to be determined by the Court, where the outcome mirrors exactly what the ministry has been saying even before the strike began: That the Ministry is happy to continue with the healthy and constructive conversations that have been ongoing and which have produced several noteworthy results that ensured to the benefit of teachers,” the ministry said.
The Education Ministry implored parents to send their children to school for normal school-day activities.
