Opposition welcomes High Court ruling on GTU strike

The Opposition APNU+AFC considers as a significant reaffirmation of workers’ rights, the ruling on Friday by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon that the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) led strike was legal.

In a statement yesterday, the opposition said that it further sees the ruling as a blow against the PPP government in its efforts to abuse the rights and freedoms of workers and other Guyanese and to control public institutions.

“The High Court, correctly in our view, reversed the vengeful anti-union actions of the government to deduct the salaries of teachers who participated in the month-long strike in February, and to discontinue deducting union dues from the salaries of teachers for the union. We share in the Court’s condemnation of the government’s actions as `arbitrary, unilateral, and discriminatory”, the opposition said.

Guyanese should also take note that the Judge found it necessary to expose the “unprofessional and deceptive conduct of senior public servants in the Ministries of Education and Labour, particularly the Chief Education Officer”, the opposition said.

“While we, in the Opposition, understand the political pressures under which senior public servants work, we call on them to uphold their integrity and resist becoming pawns and lackeys of the PPP government”, the opposition added.

It noted that the government has announced its intention to appeal the High Court’s ruling “to the CCJ, if necessary.”

The opposition said that teachers and workers must view this as a further demonstration of a government that is obsessed with authoritarian power.

“Guyanese, as one, must continue to stand up and resist. The PPP government is not the government we deserve. We deserve a government that respects the rights and freedoms of workers and all other citizens and that embraces the principles of good governance. We deserve a government that sees workers’ rights as human rights.

“The Opposition Coalition will continue to stand on the side of the GTU and the teachers of Guyana as they continue their fight for the respect, remuneration, and other rewards they duly deserve. We are confident that justice will prevail, and the union and its capable legal team will ultimately succeed”, the opposition said.