Teachers to begin benefiting from multi-year deal

Thousands of teachers across the country will this month receive benefits under a multi-year agreement which was concluded between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the Government of Guyana.

According to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA),  Finance  Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who  made the announcement  on Saturday, stated that he had instructed that funds be released by the Finance Ministry to the relevant agencies and that the applicable payrolls be processed to implement the terms of the agreement.

Close to 10,000 teachers in the public education system will benefit   from the payout.

Under the multi–year agreement, teachers, will receive a 5% across the board increase in salary for 2011 with effect from January 1 this year. In addition, the 5% agreement provides for a similar across-the-board increase to be paid in each of the years from 2012 to 2015.

The agreement also provides increased remuneration for teachers who have improved their qualifications, and grants increases in the station and hard lying allowances paid to eligible teachers. The previous 5 year agreement covered the years 2006-2010, while the current arrangement runs from this year until 2015.