Teachers should not be intimidated or bullied by GTU – Labour Minister on planned strike

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Monday that the Labour Ministry has been informed that a strike organised by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has been planned from February 5 to 16, 2024.
He said scare tactics being employed by the GTU include threatening to fire teachers and blocking their promotions if they fail to participate in the strike.
Minister Hamilton has iterated that the GTU lacks any authoritative stance to do so.
“Do not allow the Guyana Teachers’ Union and its executives to threaten you or intimidate you. They cannot, and they are in no position to, cause you to lose your job [or] to cause you not to be promoted,” he assured.
The minister has said that any strike called by the GTU would be deemed illegal by the Labour Ministry.
“I, as Minister of Labour, am duty bound to protect everyone who would have been intimidated and/or bullied by the Teachers’ Union to join an illegitimate and illegal strike,” he emphasised.
Additionally, the Labour Minister has emphasised that it is important for all teachers to understand that participating in the strike may have implications.