The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has laid the blame for the current strike squarely at the feet of President David Granger, who it says has refused to act on the recommendations from a joint task force he set up last October to resolve the dispute over teachers’ wages and conditions of service.
“I know the President meant well when the Task Force was put in place [and now] the reality is the recommendations are before us and the government must act on it,” GTU President Mark Lyte yesterday told a press conference, where he also announced that the union would pay teachers who proceed on strike.
Following the breakdown of negotiations between the union and the Ministry of Education last year, President Granger established the High-Level Task Force, comprising representatives from the government and the union. On October 31st, 2017, Cabinet met and agreed on the composition and terms of reference of the Task Force.
