GTU teachers’ strike: Education Minister criticises GTU’s handling of negotiations

…tells Diaspora GTU exploiting teachers

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has expressed concerns over what she believes to be the Guyana Teachers’ Union’s exploitation of teachers for personal gain.
She was at the time speaking during a recent local webinar discussion “The Guyana Dialogue”.
According to her, while the Education Ministry has addressed a significant portion of GTU’s requests over the past three years, there are currently ongoing disagreements related to salary increases and other demands.
Manickchand emphasised that despite meeting 50 per cent of the Union’s requests, certain legal constraints prevented the fulfilment of all demands, including those concerning direct union executive members.
She also shared her disappointment with the perceived political nature of the ongoing strike, suggesting that the focus should be on addressing substantive issues affecting teacher efficiency rather than escalating tensions.
According to the Education Minister, she does not believe it is all delinquent behaviour coming from the teachers, but pointed out that what the system needed to do was recalibrate to ensure the absence of teachers do not hurt children’s progress in school.
While acknowledging some legitimate grievances from teachers, the Minister urged a return to dialogue and a prioritisation of students’ welfare amid the strike action.
She emphasised the Government’s commitment to engaging with the Teachers’ Union, but underlined the importance of teachers resuming normal classroom activities to prevent disruptions to children’s education.
“We are ready, and we have said very clearly the minute that you are ready to honour the agreement that you signed that says once conciliation begins, the teachers, the membership of the union, will return to work in a state of normalcy, and there is no gun to our head saying pay 20 per cent before we begin talking, we are ready to talk. It was we, who initiated this conversation that has been left hanging. The Union seems very happy to do lives on Facebook and conversations and group meetings, and I am not sure how that is fulfilling this calling that their membership has collectively, which is to advance the education of the children in their care,” Manickchand said.
Despite the breakdown of talks between the Union and the Education Ministry, Manickchand reiterated her willingness to continue discussions without preconditions. She expressed readiness to address concerns collaboratively, urging the Union to prioritise the education of children over political agendas and social media engagements. The GTU had initiated a countrywide strike following failed negotiations with the Education Ministry.
The Union had requested a 20 per cent across-the-board increase for teachers before they return to the classrooms. This request was shut down by the Ministry’s negotiating team. Government has already said it is unfair for the GTU to request pay hikes for years when teachers were at home during the COVID-19 pandemic; those years are from 2020 to 2022; and that the budget cannot accommodate a retroactive increase that spans several years.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald has confirmed that the Union was prepared to compromise and begin negotiations on an agreement that would cover the years 2022 to 2025.