Striking part-time Government Technical Institute (GTI) lecturers and technicians last evening agreed to return to work next Monday after another meeting with chairman of the institute’s board, Norman McLean who assured them that they would hear from Minister of Education Shaik Baksh by month-end.
Spokesperson for the more than 60 part-time lecturers and technicians, Delphine Bakker last evening told Stabroek News that Mc Lean “pleaded” with them to return to work and he gave the minister’s assurance to tell them “something by this month-end.”
“While we don’t know what the minister will tell us, whether he would give us the one hundred percent increase or make it retroactive, we are willing to give the minister the benefit of the doubt and we took a decision to return to work,” Bakker told Stabroek News.
She said depending on what they are told this month-end they would chart a way forward on whether they would continue to work or have to down tools again.
The workers downed tools last Monday over the meagre hourly rate they are paid and they had said they would have continued the action until they met with the minister.
The workers had lamented that the hourly rate they are paid had not been increased since 2000 although there have been repeated appeals to the board for an increase.
Bakker had earlier this week disclosed that the technicians are paid $175 an hour while non-graduate part-time lecturers are paid $500 an hour and graduate lecturers $800 an hour.
They are asking for a 100% increase and the two lecturers with masters degrees are seeking $2,000 an hour.
She had pointed out that they are not asking for too much since for almost ten years they have been working for the same money year in, year out while teachers and other workers have had increases.
She noted too that the cost of living has been going up and it is unfair to ask them to continue to work for the meagre sums.
Some of the lecturers put in as much as 46 hours a week at the institute and it is believed that they make up 65% of the teaching staff, so the strike has had a great impact on the institute. Bakker has been at the institute for some 15 years and others have been there longer. They said that while they are committed to the institute and the students they also have to look out for themselves.
