Guyana’s public school teachers have entered their eighth day of strike as resolutely as they were on Day One. The strike is not only gaining momentum but other unions are planning to join the strike according to Dr. Mark Lyte, President, Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).
Efforts by the government to vilify and demonise teachers, and present a picture the strike is a failure have failed. Based on the evidence on the ground the strike is a resounding success.
Teachers are carrying placards demanding government respect their right to collective bargaining and a living wage. Taking to various social media platforms such as tiktok, Facebook, X and Instagram teachers are sharing their stories of economic deprivation, using their own money to provide teaching aids for their classrooms, the inadequacy of their salaries to meet basic needs, and relying on support of loved ones or supplementing their income doing two or more jobs.
Placards such as “we want our money,” “pay today, broke tomorrow,” “democracy is dead,” “respect our right to collective bargaining.” “Fed up,” “We have our wives to take care of” tell the stories of a very important profession in a country ranked amongst the world’s fastest growing economies.
Probably defying expectations of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), particularly in its strongholds, teachers are out in the numbers. Essequibo, Berbice, Demerara, Pomeroon and Hinterland areas are on the picket line. This publication has been reliably informed the turnout has caught the government off-guard and government officials have been assigned to areas, particularly in the PPP’s strongholds to dissuade teachers from striking.
Since August 2020 GTU submitted to the Irfaan Ali administration its Proposal for increased wages/salaries and improved working conditions. Requests by the teachers for conciliation or arbitration to address their issues have been ignored by the Ministry of Labour, which is responsible for ensuring a stable industrial environment.
The Union, no doubt, has the support of its members evident by its Facebook message “Don’t be fooled teachers. We are still outside. The fight is still on. Slippers on the ground and we definitely ain’t backing down.”
