Govt actively seeking new sources of funds to augment teachers’ wages and salaries – Pres. Granger

[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2O9g-275Ko” width=”100%” height=”315″]
─ Govt committed to meeting the needs of teachers

─ budgetary cuts to programmes of ministries and agencies being considered

─ strike action is a last resort, mediation still on the cards

DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 31, 2018

The Coalition Administration, through the Ministry of Finance, is actively looking for new sources to offset funding to meet the payment of wages and salaries for teachers. This assurance was today given by President David Granger during a press conference hosted at the Ministry of the Presidency.

The Head of State said, similar to the case with the Guyana Sugar Corporation- GuySuCo workers, the government is currently looking at budgetary cuts to programmes within various agencies and ministries to meet the initial payment to teachers.

The president disclosed that the Ministry of Social Protection is presently in discussions with the Ministry of Finance to determine the way forward.

“The government has been trying to meet the teachers’ needs after several discussions at the Cabinet on the high-level panel report. Money was found to augment the initial offer,” the president said.

President Granger expressed the belief that strike action by the teachers should be a last resort, noting that there is still room for mediation talks between the Government and the Guyana Teachers’ Union-GTU.

He stated “if mediation fails then we can go to arbitration but I think it is premature to speak of a strike at this stage and we are still on the government side- aiming at mediation. I do not believe mediation has failed.”

President Granger reminded that over the last three years, the teachers have been beneficiaries of pay increases along with other public servants.

“The teachers were not discriminated against, they got all their benefits the public servants were getting all along but nevertheless we are cognisant of the needs of the teachers. We haven’t abandoned the negotiations. We are still in negotiations as far as I am concerned,” the president stated.

Asked about discussions on the multi-year agreement with the GTU, President Granger said at this stage the immediate focus is for the two parties to conclude an agreement which would see the calling off of strike action and the beginning of long-term discussions on the multi-year agreement.

While acknowledging that the contingency plan, which is to be activated in the event of the strike action, is not very favoured, the Head of State said it is a temporary arrangement.

“We would prefer to have the regular teachers in the classroom so this is an unhappy resort, but it is the only way we could ensure those students receive continuous education, those who are preparing for exams next year, we would prefer to have unbroken schooling for them, so it is a temporary measure, if you want to call it a band-aid,” he expressed.

The Ministry of Education has assured that it will be galvanizing the support of retired teachers and students of the Cyril Potter College of Education-CPCE to fall into place in the event the strike action of the GTU continues into the commencement of the new school term on September 3. 

Stacy Carmichael

Image: Keno George