Jagdeo slams Govt for dragging feet on teachers’ salary increases

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has questioned Government’s commitment to education in Guyana and took a swipe at it for delaying the process of meeting an agreement to raise teachers’ salaries.
Jagdeo said President David Granger and his Cabinet have an obligation to address the concerns of teachers and should seek to have the issue of salary increases for teachers resolved quickly.
He recalled that during his tenure as President, he personally sat with the leadership of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) to discuss salaries and other benefits for teachers.
Jagdeo said he worked too with the GTU to come up with a multi-year remuneration package for teachers, which included not only salaries, but a

housing fund and duty-free concessions, among other incentives.
He urged the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition to ensure that it responded to the concerns of the teachers, noting the importance of teachers to the education system and the country as a whole.
“Granger has talked about education, but what about the teachers … they can’t even get a commitment,” he said, noting that it was unacceptable for teachers to be treated in that manner.
Last month, two letters were sent to President Granger, one by GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald and the second by Union President Mark Lyte.
Both sought to enquire of the President and his Cabinet the reasons for the delayed remuneration package for teachers and also requested a timeline for its realisation.
While Education Minister Nicolette Henry has said that the matter was now in the hands of Cabinet and that recommendations were made and submitted for initial evaluation, the GTU said it was fed up.
Lyte told Guyana Times in an exclusive interview last month that the Union has learnt unofficially that the work of the High-Level Task Force of Public Education has been dealt with by Cabinet.
However, he said the Union was yet to hear a word from the Government on its decision.
Lyte recalled that the GTU had written President Granger about the slow pace at

which the negotiations were proceeding and not being able to get a response, among other concerns.
He said that that missive was dispatched on June 5. The Government responded and said that the Finance Ministry was advising Cabinet on the matter. The GTU only received that letter on June 29.
Asked whether the Union was confident that a decision could be made soon, now that the matter was with Cabinet, he said there was not even the slightest optimism, given how the issue was dealt with.
Lyte also recapped that the Task Force had completed its work and handed over its report to the Minister on April 6, but there was still no concrete word on when Cabinet could make a pronouncement.
“All we are told is that the Finance Ministry is advising and that is not enough word for comfort,” he added.
The GTU official also pointed out that the Government has been claiming that teachers were important, yet its actions seemed to disagree as there was no real genuine effort being made to address their needs.
“And, just recently, we were being told that private schools are outperforming public schools and only when exam time comes, people feel it. But this is a result of the low motivation,” he explained.
The establishment of the Task Force, which comprised Government and Union representatives, followed on the heels of threats of strike action from the GTU in

retaliation for the slow pace of addressing the pay increase for teachers. This led to its establishment to fast-track the salary issue.
In April, the High-Level Task Force was engaged in a meeting, where the factors affecting teachers were discussed, with the possibility of them receiving an increase in their monthly salaries. However, since May, it was revealed that the matter was within the remit of the Finance Ministry.
The Union has proposed a series of increases. These, it said, were proposed with the aim of improving the financial stability of teachers, who are the most significant figures within society.
A 40 per cent salary increase for public school teachers was proposed for the year 2016. Over time, the percentage would be increased for all categories of represented teachers.