THE Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has conceded to start salary negotiations from 2024 onwards, thereby concluding the conciliation process initiated by the Ministry of Education.
This decision marks a turn of events in the ongoing dialogue between the GTU and the government over teachers’ wages and working conditions.

“The conciliation process has ended with the parties agreeing that the multi-year agreement will address a period commencing from 2024 and onwards. The bilateral talks will now begin on the multi-year agreement,” the Education Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
However, the Ministry said that they continue to serve teachers in various ways, and continue to have the “best interest of teachers at heart”.
The background to this concession is a prolonged negotiation process, which began after teachers initiated a strike on February 5.
The strike was aimed at securing wage increases and other benefits.

Initially, the GTU sought retroactive salary adjustments for the period between 2019 and 2023.
However, fiscal constraints led the government to propose focusing on future salary agreements, starting from 2024.
An agreement was reached last month between the GTU and the government to initiate negotiations for a multi-year agreement.
Despite this, the GTU had initially insisted on addressing past salaries, leading to an impasse.

The Ministry of Education had clarified that retroactive payments were not feasible within the 2024 budget, prompting the union to eventually agree to the proposed timeline.
This development follows a contentious legal battle, where the State sought to overturn a ruling by Justice Sandil Kissoon, which had legitimised the teachers’ strike.
The ruling was based on the assertion that the Ministry had not properly undertaken collective bargaining with the GTU.
The State expressed significant concerns about the ruling’s implications for future labour relations, describing it as being “bad in law”.
The matter is currently before the Court of Appeal.

Throughout the negotiations, the government reiterated its commitment to improving the education sector.
Investments in policies and programmes are ongoing, aimed at enhancing educational opportunities and supporting teachers’ welfare.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali recently underscored the administration’s focus on prioritising the needs of teachers, students, and parents.
With the GTU’s concession to start salary negotiations from 2024, both the union and the Ministry of Education are now poised to embark on bilateral talks aimed at securing a multi-year agreement.
This agreement is anticipated to establish a foundation for a more stable and collaborative relationship, ultimately advantageous for both the nation’s educators and the wider educational sector.