Latest update April 4th, 2025 6:13 AM
GTU, Labour Ministry to resume salary talks on Monday
Kaieteur News – Discussions on higher salaries for teachers between the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Labour Ministry are scheduled to reconvene on Monday, June 10.
President of the GTU, Dr. Mark Lyte
This was revealed by President of the GTU, Dr. Mark Lyte during a live broadcast via the Union’s Facebook page on Tuesday. Dr. Lyte gave an update about the talks towards reconciliation. “We are working on a way forward…We have reached out because we believe that this situation must not go on forever – that through dialogue, mature, responsible people can mend their differences,” Dr. Lyte said.
However, he noted that “until the favourable terms of resumption are signed, the strike will continue.” The GTU President further reiterated that there could be no way forward on the process until the terms of resumption are satisfactory to the union.
“My concern as leader of the Teachers’ Union is that we are unable to survive on the package that we currently have…The union won’t compromise further. Our position remains the same. We will continue to have our voices raised,” Lyte said. The GTU has said it wants the Government to put up a counter proposal to theirs as they seek to bring an end to the over 50-day strike action for better salaries. They said too that they are prepared to amend their multi-year agreement proposal from 2019-2023 to 2022-2025.
Last Thursday, Lyte told News Source that the Union is prepared to compromise and begin negotiation on an agreement that would cover the years 2022 to 2025. According to News Source, the GTU President said the Union is willing to give up more than two years from its original proposal, and he believes it is now time for the Ministry of Education to show that it is serious and also offer two years for negotiation that would match the two years that the Union would have remaining from its original proposal.”
“If the Union is ready to compromise on some of those back years, the Government has got to be prepared to compromise on its position. But all we are hearing is that the Union must compromise and not the other side and it is unfair to workers of this country to be asked through their Union to compromise five years when there is no compromise on the other side. I would say this now, that if the Government is prepared to take two years – 2022 and 2023 – and we go with 2024, 2025, then we can have a four-year agreement ASAP, if the Government is prepared to go with that. We are prepared to give up some of the years under the proposal that we submitted. Is the Government prepared to go back and compromise, rather than hold its position to say 2024 and no more?” Lyte is quoted by News Source as saying.
Meanwhile speaking to Kaieteur News on the issue, GTU General Secretary, Coretta McDonald said this is not the first time that the Union has presented the government with a compromise as it relates to the multi-year agreement. “We have always been willing to comprise but it’s the Government not prepared to do the same. Every time, we offer something, the Government has an excuse as to why they can’t meet the demand. The GTU said that it is prepared to take two years – 2022 and 2023 – and we go with 2024, 2025, then we said we are prepared to give up some of the years under the proposal that we submitted. They said no… We asked for lump sum, they said no.” McDonald lamented that while the government continues to be stiff-necked, the nation’s children are suffering.
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