President Ali’s plan to engage teachers directly will be opposed by union

Dear Editor,
A few days ago, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced his intention to meet with the nation’s teachers in order to discuss salary adjustments and other benefits.
Such welcome news should be a cause for celebration, but knowing how certain persons operate, I wouldn’t be surprised if this move is rejected by certain persons in the leadership of the Guyana Teachers’ Union.
There is no doubt in my mind that, were the Head of State to embark upon the route of direct engagement with teachers, the Opposition politicians that comprise the GTU leadership would be upset. Why do I believe so? Well, the answer is simple. If the President goes the route of engaging the teachers directly, it would take away from that clique the ability to sabotage the negotiation process with unreasonable demands, so that they could play politics.
The GTU leadership are at risk of losing their ability to dictate which of their like-minded teacher-friends get the duty-free concessions. They will also lose the ability to discriminate against those who refuse to follow their anti-Government lead.
Many rank-and-file members have expressed their loss of confidence in the union’s leadership. They are of the view that these officials are no longer working in their interest, but they are busy furthering the political agenda of the Opposition.
Over the next few days, we can look forward to attempts to thwart any direct engagement between President Ali and the nation’s teachers.

Yours truly,
Alvin Hamilton