By Alexis Rodney- Public school teachers are being called upon to rise up against officials of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) particularly its president, Mark Lyte, who last week signed an agreement with the government against the wishes of the educators.
Amidst widespread dissent within the teacher’s union, Lyte signed a three-year pact with the Ministry of Education last Wednesday, giving teachers a mere 10 per cent increase in salaries for 2024, eight per cent in 2025 and nine per cent in 2026.
Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) co-leader, Dr David Hinds said the union president, through that deal, has slaughtered working class women who make up 95 per cent of the teaching profession.
Dr Hinds said Lyte has no consciousness of his responsibility to poor people, black people, women and workers and has sold out his people.
“While I don’t know that anybody gave him any money, I don’t know that he needs anybody to give him any money, but he is now the darling of the oppressors.”
“In order to be in the good books of the oppressors, he sold his people. I don’t know what else he got. I don’t know that he got anything of substance, but what I do know is that he had the power to put more wages in the pockets of teachers, of workers, of black women. Instead of doing that, he joined with the oppressors to rob them, like a highway robber,” Hinds told online viewers of Politics 101 late last week.
The agreement signed by Lyte and the union’s second vice president also gives teachers with doctoral degrees $32, 000 increase on their salaries, while those with master’s degrees will be given $22,000, which the ministry said, is an increase of $120 per cent from November 2023. Teachers who have post graduate diplomas will receive $7,000 monthly, while holders of certificates in education and the certificate in education management course will each receive $5000 more.
Clothing allowance has also been increased from $8,000 to $15,000, while the annual duty-free concession will now be made available to 150 substantive senior masters/ mistresses.
The signing came after months of pushback by teachers, many of whom took to the streets during the early part of the year demanding a living wage. Back in February, a few weeks after the passage of a $1.1 46 trillion budget, teachers across the country flooded the streets challenging the government to pay increased salaries.
Their calls were never heeded even with the intervention of the court. The union later called off the protest with the intention of meeting with the government, however, talks with the ministry fell through and teachers took to the streets again in May. By June, teachers agreed to call of the strike making way for conciliation between the two bodies. The GTU maintained that the government considers its multi-year proposal from 2019 to 2023. The government was however adamant that it would only consider an agreement from 2024 onwards.
Dr Hinds said Lyte does not understand the historical responsibility that has been placed in his hand as he believed he was just bargaining with the government. He said while he has nothing against Lyte, the GTU president, who holds a doctoral degree, has not shown love for his own sisters who are not at the same economic and certification levels as he is.
“You are bargaining with people who are stealing our money in front our faces. You are bargaining with people who are not bargaining about wages for teachers. Their objective is to put black people in their economic places by smothering their wages, because with economic power comes political power. The teachers need to revolt against their union leaders they have let them down.”
He explained that if a teacher is earning $120,000, with a 10 per cent increase they will receive just $12,000. When that is taxed, there will be nothing left.
“How can Mark Lyte and others, in a practical way, agree to that. You agree to murdering your people. When you get to where you are, you have a responsibility to defend and protect those who were not so fortunate. Mark Lyte has violated that code. The brother has let us down. He has let black women down, he has let teachers down, he has let poor people down,” Dr Hinds scolded.
He said it is a fact that majority of teachers in Guyana are of African descent, with more than 95 per cent women. “So, who did Mark Lyte and others slaughter by their actions? the majority of the people.”
The political leader urged teachers who are dissatisfied with the agreement to make their own plans without the involvement of the union president. He reminded them of the favorable rulings of the court and encouraged them to once again take legal recourse.
Giving kudos to GTU’s General Secretary Coretta McDonald, Dr Hinds said she stood up for teachers, when the president refused to do so. McDonald was among union officials who protested and walked out of the meeting Wednesday when the agreement was signed.
Meanwhile, social activist and commentator, Apostle Nigel London also called for teachers to strike against the union. He said Lyte is clearly being controlled by some external force for him to demonstrate this behavior. According to London, no normal persons that understands trade unionism would do what the GTU president did.
“For this to be the last robust passionate group in terms of a union to say that we are going to challenge oppression, more so, for the working class, and then suddenly the president of all, more than anyone else says we can’t get more, does Mark Lyte understand the economics that surround Guyana. Does he consider the fact, or did he tell the teachers that this 10 per cent you are accepting is just like a before tax 10 per cent. You are elected to execute the will of the people in the union, not make decisions for them.”
He continued, “this man is a disgrace and for me, when I heard what was reported, in my view, it should be illegal to do this. I hope the teachers can strike against the union. I hope that females on Monday, would come out the classroom and say we are not accepting this because it’s unfair,” he said, while a guest on Politics 101.
London said GTU’s general council was deceived, maintaining that there has to be a reaction in the country. He lamented that it is not right that the country is “earning over $ 1 billion per day, spending money like rain and then say teachers could only earn so little.”
