–Education Ministry says

THE Ministry of Education, on Monday told the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) that there must be an end to the strike before conciliation could commence on the impasse.

This was according to the Ministry of Education in a press release on Monday, following the third meeting that was held between the union and Education Ministry, which was mediated by the Labour Ministry.

The Education Ministry said: “The MoE maintained that there be strict adherence to the 1990 agreement and that the grievance procedure be followed as per the said agreement. In this regard, the MoE indicated to the GTU that they must end the strike before conciliation can commence on the impasse.”

It went on to add that according to section five of the grievance procedure, during consideration of the matter in dispute, there shall be no strike or stoppage of work or any other interference with the ministry’s operations.

“The Ministry of Education insists that the Guyana Teachers’ Union acts in good faith and honours this agreement. Conciliation cannot commence until the strike has ended and a state of normalcy returns,” the Education Ministry said.

Against this backdrop, the Education Ministry indicated its readiness to work together and determine a multi-year agreement from 2024 onwards.
Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton, during a telephone interview, noted that there has been no movement in the talks.

When asked, the minister said: “There was no movement in the talks… there’s still a stalemate or a deadlock.”
Against this backdrop, he said that it is important to remember that this conversation is not about a negotiation on salaries, but a limited matter discussing going to conciliation.
However, when asked what will come next, Hamilton indicated that he was informed by the Chief Labour Officer that there is no date set yet for another meeting.

He added: “We await the parties to say to us where they are going or where they will go, but there’s no day assigned for another meeting.”
Just last week, talks between the union and the Education Ministry came to a halt with Minister of Education Priya Manickchand stating that the Government of Guyana will not negotiate with the union under duress.

This came after a day and a half of talks when the GTU suddenly presented a two-page document that included a list of demands to be met before the resumption agreement could be signed.
Included in this list of demands was that the ministry make an interim 20 per cent across-the-board payment immediately, before any conciliation regarding the timeframe can commence.
The union further demanded that the Minister of Labour recuse himself from the negotiation process, among other things.

According to Manickchand at the time, the ministry was shocked to see the details of the two meetings held between the parties in a release by the GTU.