Teachers in conciliation talks
t was made purions of the 1990 Agreement which dance and settle" between the Guyana and the Union, and the 01, which permits ng the timeframe to be referred to the Labour Minister for Conciliation.
Contrary to its lack of response to the GTU’s many correspondences seeking conciliation and arbitration prior to its decision to strike in March, the Labour Ministry quickly responded to the Education Ministry’s letter and extended an invitation for a meeting with the two parties.
In response to this invitation, Permanent Secretary of the GTU Coretta McDonald penned a letter to educators and posted on the union’s Facebook page late Sunday night, stating that the GTU would attend the meeting but the teachers’ strike would continue.
“This meeting will NOT derail us from our planned engagements scheduled for tomorrow. Therefore, we urge all of our members to follow the guidance given by the Union as we remain resolute relative to our salaries and non-salaries benefits,” the letter stated.
After the GTU’s announcement last Wednesday of the planned resumption of strike action the following two days, Permanent Secretary (PS) of the MoE Shanielle Hoosein-Outar wrote to the union, expressing shock at its decision.
“We are quite surprised at… the actions proposed. The Government of Guyana stands ready to continue engaging the Guyana Teachers’ Union on the Multi-Year Agreement from 2024 onwards,” the letter said.
Due to the tragic accident that occurred on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway yesterday that claimed the lives of two educators, teachers from Linden remained at home instead of protesting, in an act of mourning.