GTU Withdraws Contempt Case Against Top Officials — But Dues Dispute Remains ‘Active’

The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has formally withdrawn its contempt of court application against several high-ranking government officials, but the central issue — the deduction and remittance of union dues — remains unresolved and very much alive.

The Attorney General’s Chambers announced that on September 19, 2025, the GTU had discontinued contempt proceedings it initiated on August 26, 2025, against Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC, Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh, and five regional officials, including Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Shannielle Hoosein-Outar.

The GTU had sought committal warrants over the State’s failure to comply with Justice Sandil Kissoon’s landmark April 19, 2024 ruling, which ordered the immediate resumption of union dues deductions from teachers’ salaries. That decision had declared the government’s discontinuation of the deductions as “unlawful, arbitrary, and discriminatory,” and a violation of constitutional rights to collective bargaining and freedom of association.

That judgment had strongly condemned the government’s move to cease deducting union dues from teachers’ salaries, labeling it unlawful, discriminatory, and unconstitutional. Justice Kissoon ruled that the action violated Articles 147 and 149(d) of the Constitution, which guarantee the right to collective bargaining and freedom of association. He also found that the government’s withholding of salaries from striking teachers was done in bad faith and without legal basis.

But on September 12, the Attorney General filed a motion to strike out the contempt application, citing several procedural deficiencies. These included failure to personally serve the alleged contemnors, the expiration of the one-year limit under Section 16 of the Contempt of Court Act, and non-compliance with the State Liability and Proceedings Act, which governs legal actions against the State.

During a preliminary hearing, a request was made for Justice Kissoon to recuse himself from the contempt matter due to his role in the original ruling. He agreed and adjourned the case pending reassignment — but before that could occur, the GTU formally withdrew the contempt application.

However, GTU’s attorney Darren Wade made it clear that the union is not backing down. Speaking to Village Voice News, Wade emphasised that while the application to jail government officials may have been withdrawn, the underlying issue — the government’s failure to implement the court’s order — is far from over. “The matter remains active,” Wade said, “because the government has still not resumed deduction and remittance of union dues as ordered.”

The April 2024 ruling had also barred the State from docking the salaries of teachers who participated in the February–March 2024 strike, rejecting the government’s “no work, no pay” argument and characterizing the action as retaliatory and unconstitutional.

The Attorney General personally appeared in court, supported by a high-powered legal team including King’s Counsel Darshan Ramdhani, Deputy Solicitor General Shoshanna V. Lall, Principal Legal Advisor Ronetta Prince, and State Counsel Omar Hoppie and Ron Austin.

While the contempt case may have been dropped — for now — the GTU has signaled that legal action may be refiled if compliance is not forthcoming. As it stands, the government remains under pressure to obey a ruling it has yet to enforce.