Guyana’s public school teachers have returned to the picket line today, marking day 21 of strike action in effort to get the government to respect their rights to collective bargaining and negotiate with the Guyana Teachers Union that represents them.
General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis in an interview with Village Voice News said the strike is in 21st day. According to him “the moment strike action is taken, until terms of resumption is agreed upon, every day is considered as a legal day on strike.” Deliberating further on this aspect of industrial relations, the veteran trade unionist said “it does not matter whether certain days are scheduled day off, each day is considered as inclusive of strike action.”
Dr, Mark Lyte, President of the Union, in a Facebook live Sunday called on the teachers to turn up at the picket line today, including those who never came out and those who may have returned to work. Some workers Lyte last week acknowledged may have returned because of financial obligations and fear of losing pay.
Government has threatened teachers to deduct pay for the days they are on strike and wrote the GTU stating it would no longer deduct union dues from the teachers’ salary. The Government also stated the strike was illegal.
Last Thursday, February 22nd the High Court delivered a win for the teachers when Justice Sandil Kissoon issued conservatory orders barring the government from deducting pay from striking workers and refusal to deduct union dues and remit to the Union, until the court makes a determination on the matter before it. On 16th February the Union filed against the government for determination the strike is legal and against government’s refusal to continue deduction of union dues and remitting to the Union. The matters come up for hearing on 20th March.
The Union Leader, evidently buoyed by the court’s temporary ruling, was all fired up Sunday on his Facebook live chat. He blasted the government for continuing to ignore the teachers’ plight and use of race and politics to divide the teachers and society, and state teachers will remain steadfast in pursuing collective bargaining.
The trade union leader drew attention to the wide disparity in teachers’ pay compared to their Caribbean counterparts, likewise the resources of those countries that depend primarily on revenue from tourism, unlike Guyana that has several resources such as gold, oil and gas, among others. He cited whilst the average teacher in Guyana works for US$400.00 per month, their Caribbean counterparts work for US$1000.00.
Guyana is ranked the world’s fastest growing economy. In 2024 Guyana is projected to earn US$2.08 billion from oil and gas, alone. This year’s National Budget is pegged at $1.146 trillion with greater allocation to public infrastructure spending.
In his Facebook Live, the union leader made comparison with slavery and indentureship in the treatment of teachers, with particular attention drawn to indentured servants who whilst under paid contract for their labour the sum was small they were forced to settle in Guyana because they could not return to their countries. He alluded to the economic situations as persons being “tricked and robbed of their livelihood.”
In Guyana the European first enslaved the First People’s, then through the Atlantic Slave Trade brought Africans from African in a system called chattel slavery and determined by the United Nation as the worst crime against humanity. After emancipation, indentured servants were brought from Africa, Asia and Europe. The majority of indentured servants came from India.
