Latest update May 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 25, 2022 News
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) on Thursday called on the Irfaan Ali-led Administration to increase Teachers’ salaries in keeping with the Union’s proposal for salary and non-salary benefits.
The GTU’s request follows President Irfaan Ali’s announcement of salary adjustments for members of the Disciplined Services (Police, Military and Fire). The new salary scales for the Discipline Services will take effect from January 2023 and is in addition to the eight percent retroactive increase for 2022 the President announced last week for Public Servants.
In a Press Release posted on the Union’s Facebook Page, President Mark Lyte said, “The GTU wishes to place on record that not only Police and Fire Service Officers’ salaries need to be adjusted, but Public Servants and Teachers.”
Lyte said that Teachers have been subjected to meager salaries for far too long. “We believe that the country has adequate resources to not only increase salaries for some sector workers, but all workers in Guyana,” he said.
Further, the GTU President said that Teachers are required to undergo, “far more training and rigorous studies to attain the status of Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher, Head of Department etc.” while calling on President Ali to engage the GTU “to fix the salary issues affecting the nation’s educators.”
Stating that the President’s announcement of salary adjustments for the Disciplined Services is welcome by all “civic minded individuals who understand the importance of service officers to the nation”, the Union said that, “better salary for Public Officers should reduce the level of corruption in public offices and raise standard of living.”
Lyte said that like the Disciplined Services, Teachers and other Public Servants “have every right to be elated while pleading, “President Ali, we await the announcement for Teachers increase. Thank you.”
The GTU had said it was “grossly disappointed” with the Government’s announcement of 8 percent retroactive salary increase for Public Servants. In a statement Lyte said, “What is incomprehensible is the rationalisation for this meager increase when the inflation rate in Guyana is over 50%.”
Lyte accused the Irfaan Ali-led Administration of showing, “its disregard for the Rule of Law by again ignoring the constitutional right of working-class people or collective bargaining.”
“There is no end to the disrespect meted out to teachers in particular. The President has ignored correspondences from the Guyana Teachers’ Union since ascending to public office, a position that was unjustified and unimaginable,” the GTU head said in his Press Release.
Further, Lyte said that the Union submitted on several occasions, its Multi-Year Proposal for salary and non-salary benefits to the President, Vice-President, Finance Minister and Minister of Education but, “there has not been the common courtesy to acknowledge receipt of the document from these officials.”
Lyte reminded that Teachers are “owed debunching 2% retroactively in 2017.” He said too that Teachers employed from 2016 have received the previous year’s salary. “The morale of Teachers continues to be low because of the way they are been treated,” he said while noting that Thursday’s announcement demonstrates that Government’s “attitude toward Teachers tells us- they care less about us.”
The GTU President said, “A caring Government must not only say it cares but show it cares. We must stand and let our voices be heard.”
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