Education Ministry, GTU at impasse over chairmanship for Arbitration Tribunal
DPI, GUYANA, Friday, September 14, 2018
The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) today submitted nominees for the chairmanship of the Arbitration Tribunal, however, both parties have turned down the names submitted by the other.
MOE and the GTU during their last conciliatory meeting last week.
The Ministry had proposed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications Derrick Cummings, and Human Resource Manager, Guyana Revenue Authority Glendon Harris as the possible head of the panel.
These names were however turned down by the Union.
The GTU presented as their nominees former Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashleigh Jackson, Dr Aubrey Armstrong and former Minister of Education, Labour and Regional Development Jeffrey Thomas.
The Ministry of Education last Thursday agreed to go to arbitration following days of industrial action by the Guyana Teachers’ Union. The Union has been clamouring for the Education Ministry to honour a proposal for a 40 percent increase in salary for 2016, forty-five percent in 2017, fifty per cent in 2018, fifty per cent in 2019 and fifty per cent in 2020 be granted to all categories of teachers/educators.
However, the Education Ministry’s counterproposal had made available $700M to facilitate an increase in salaries for all teachers based on the current salary scale and the previously proposed $200M for debunching for 2018.
Arbitration will see an independent third-party hearing the evidence brought by both sides and making a final decision.
By: Alexis Rodney.
Image: Department of Public Information.