PNC to compensate teachers retroactively once elected to office – Elson Low

Jul 14, 2024 News

---

Kaieteur News – The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has promised to retroactively compensate teachers should the party be successful at the 2025 General and Regional Elections.

Opposition Advisor and Economist Elson Low told reporters on Friday at the party’s weekly press conference that the party is deeply concerned about the abrupt end to the teachers’ strike particularly since the teachers have returned to the classrooms without being compensated for the service provided over the years.

“This represents government meanness and mismanagement beyond measure, because teachers must surely be going back to classrooms in a discouraged and weary state. We know that, out of concern for their students, they will work professionally as always,” Low said.

The Opposition Advisor said that the next PNCR government will take into consideration the years that the “PPP has refused to engage on for salary increases, and provide them adequate compensation after good faith negotiations.”

Furthermore, “We do not expect that the government will provide any substantial increases going forward, as they have clearly demonstrated a confrontational, unyielding and cold stance when it comes to salary increases for teachers and public servants more broadly. This means that when in office come 2025, or sooner, it will be our task to make up for the PPP’s total disregard for fair compensation. We will pay our teachers what they deserve and look forward to working closely with them to help ensure our schools improve swiftly and comprehensively.”

Meanwhile, commenting on the 39.5% increase teachers are asking for in the 2024-2026 proposed multi-year agreement, Lowe said that, “We have previously called for a 50% increase for public servants so teachers’ demands are in line with the minimum that should be expected in order to make wages internationally competitive. We reiterate that as Guyana is a wealthy country, with a per capita GDP adjusting for prices of $80,000 USD, it is perfectly reasonable for citizens to expect better wages.”

Low reminded that, “Jagdeo has said teachers’ salaries have increased by 50% since 2015 but the budget has swelled by over 400% in that same time period. The government is deliberately underpaying teachers and when in office, we will increase teacher pay retroactively, taking account of the years that the PPP refuses to consider.”

The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has proposed a 39.5 percent salary increase for teachers in 2024, the proposal submitted to the Government of Guyana states. According to the document, the GTU is also asking for “30% for each indicative year 2025 and 2026 respectively. Teachers from TS4 to TS19 (35%) for 2024, and 30% indicative year 2025 and 2026 respectively.”

Furthermore, the Union proposed that should there be a higher percentage given to Public Servants, then the teachers/ teacher educators must get the benefit of the differences.

In the very detailed document, titled ‘Proposed Memorandum of Agreement entered between the Ministry of Education and the GTU concerning terms and conditions of employment for teachers/ teacher educators for the years 2024-2026’, the Union is also demanding among other things 100 University of Guyana scholarships per year, a clothing allowance of $40,000 and 300 duty free concessions for motor vehicles up to 2000 cc.

Additionally, the GTU is proposing “That Teachers/Teacher Educators who serve in the Interior and Hinterland / Riverain Areas be given two (2) years instead of (5) years to serve their CPCE contracts and in the case of University Graduates, they be given Three (3) points for promotional purposes having served four (4) consecutive years.”

Two weeks ago, the GTU called off the strike after being on strike for 75 days. The Union and the Ministry of Education on Friday agreed that the 2019-2023 multi-year proposal put forward by the Union will be shelved and focus will now be placed on the 2024 and onwards multi-year proposal.

In a statement, the Ministry of Education said that “the conciliation process initiated by the Ministry of Education to engage the Guyana Teachers’ Union regarding the timeline for which a multi-year agreement should be agreed upon has come to an end.”

In the statement, the ministry said that the bilateral talks can now begin on the proposed 2024 multi-year agreement. “The Ministry of  Education will continue to serve teachers in various ways and continues to have the best interest of teachers at heart,” the ministry stated.

---

• ministry, opposition, PNC, strike, teachers

---