ON Wednesday last, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) signed a multi-year salary agreement after the union took strike action in February this year.
The deal came after tough negotiators looked carefully at all proposals and counter-proposals. It resulted in the union securing a 10 per cent increase for 2024, an eight per cent increase for 2025, and a nine per cent increase for 2026. This is, of course, not including the non-salary hike in securing more benefits for teachers like duty-free cars, housing funds, scholarships, and allowances.
This means that the teachers alone will receive an increase of 2.5 billion dollars in one year. If one looks at the non-salary benefits the union agreed to on Wednesday, teachers walked away with nearly 1.5 billion dollars in one year. And, the deal has a built-in clause that if the government gives any other increases of a greater magnitude than 10 per cent, teachers must benefit at the same level. There are other conditions which are favourable to the union contained therein.
Also, the union’s general council met and discussed the proposal, which later led to its ratification. Surprisingly, the union’s General Secretary, Corretta McDonald, went to the media to voice her objection to the signed deal. She alleged the union was deceived and undermined by its President, Mark Lyte. McDonald also quickly said that the “membership” was complaining because the 10 per cent increase could not offset the cost-of-living expenses. She boldly questioned the integrity of the union’s negotiations, saying that teachers were “sold out.”
The union’s GS also seemed to be saying that the membership will decide on the way forward. She also appeared to be signalling another wave of protests or industrial action, or even revenge against Lyte and a few of the union’s representatives who were part of this plot.
Firstly, the agreement, as is, is fair and satisfactory.
It is still not enough or the type of salary increases the nation would like to see our teachers receiving after approximately 75 days of protest and struggle.
There is room for more to be done but still, it is better than nothing or no deal being reached. The half of the GTU that is allegedly griped about the scale of the increase needs to do some serious introspection because the government has given the union a reasonable and plausible explanation as to why the teachers can’t get more at this point.
It has also explained that there will be financial sustainability issues with the increase should it be any higher. Maybe, we should stop thinking Guyana has ‘oil money’ so teachers must benefit now from all at once. The government has to find the fiscal space and additional methods of making sure that it is responsibly handling the treasury with these increases it is committing to for the teachers.
When one looks at the billions that the current government is pouring into the teachers’ pockets and welfare compared to the previous administration, one cannot escape the fact that it is a sign that the PPP/C government is listening, hearing, and showing that it cares for the teachers through thoughtful action.
The 2.5 billion dollars in increases is not easy to come by. Billions worth of benefits targeting teachers directly will improve their overall standard of living and lives this year. Who will complain about that? Aren’t teachers better off than under the previous regime minus the billions of dollars that teachers will benefit from this year? The union agreed and signed the deal, didn’t it?
The 10 per cent is a fair and satisfactory place to restart the relations especially because of the benefits which will help teachers cope with the cost of living that is incidentally falling. The teachers should be encouraging the government to pay higher percentages of increases to other public sector employees so they can get more.
Secondly, it was rightly projected that this was more about setting false political narratives than teachers’ benefits and wages. This is more about the pride of one woman than teachers’ development. Let us be clear, Corretta McDonald and her links to the opposition party, PNC-APNU-AFC are the problem.
She is politicising the issue. McDonald is using the teachers’ issue as a bargaining chip for coolth within the PNC party. It is a shame to use teachers this way. It is a bigger shame that this politician is causing a division in the GTU. She is breaking the unity and solidarity in the name of partisan politics. Teachers’ salary increases and benefits should be treated as an apolitical matter and devoid of racism but this parliamentarian does not seem to understand this. So, she inserts herself into the scheme of things when it matters the most.
And, in this case, at the point when the government or union finally has a breakthrough deal. Assumingly, Lyte and others saw this culture developing over the years and skillfully dodged her. They signed the agreement ending months of vexations over the issue at hand which had to do largely with increments, salaries and benefits.
Realising this, McDonald has gone full beat mode accusing them of undermining the teachers when she knows full well, it is only she who was sabotaging and undermining the teachers all along. Her verbiage and rhetoric are wholly unacceptable as is the posture of the party she represents. One must ask oneself why. The answer is simple. The parliamentarian was caught with her slip showing and she is embarrassed within the PNC. She wanted this issue to be prolonged and protracted into the election season.
So, she has work to do and people to organise over the next few weeks. Let us be clear, this issue was political from the very start and teachers were misled by McDonald.
Thirdly, research shows that the inflation rate is going to fall along with the cost of living. The governments in the Caribbean are still feeling the squeeze but with good policy approaches, we will win. Guyana is no exception, and its teachers are not either. When the rates return to normalcy, the teachers will benefit handsomely.
Teachers are urged to remain steadfast and watchful because they will be asked to sabotage the upcoming school term and the children’s education. They know what is meant by ransom politics. Mc Donald will try to play a game of ransom politics by trying hard to hold our children’s education at ransom but she will fail and be discarded in the end. She will turn around and try to play chess or Chinese checkers. She will fail at this too.
Nobody has time for nonsense. It is time for serious business and serious union representation that is void of politics of race and hatred. The GTU must consider its internal processes and revamp its constitution. No one person can hold on to the GS position for life. No one should have the opportunity to influence teachers or public servants to strike for his/her aggrandisement and a seat in the PNC decision-making room. Union representatives should be trained and professional overall, not engaging in calling people’s children, and making all sorts of statements about them because they did not get one’s way. It just would never do.
Finally, teachers’ welfare will improve steadily and slowly if it must. This is a very good deal for teachers. Whatever McDonald is plotting against the union representatives that reached the deal with the government, it certainly will fail.
McDonald, your turn…oh yea, checkmate!