“No Money No Work!” was one of the many chants yelled by the teachers of Linden who took to the streets to protest and continue the ongoing GTU strike.
The strike in its fifth day, saw a crowd larger and louder as teachers continue to agitate for better salaries.
A live video stream posted on APNU+AFC MP Jermaine Figuiera Facebook’s page on Friday showed the teachers of Linden, Region 10, taking to the streets to protest the way they were being treated by the Ministry of Education.
After a brief walkabout, the teachers gathered in front of the Shell Gas Station, where another chant was heard, “If Priya was a teacher she would have joined the strike!”
The scene was one of solidarity and defiance, as teachers from across Linden converged to amplify their demands for improved salaries.
Students dressed in uniform were also seen standing with their teachers in show of support for the movement.
In a show of solidarity, persons were seen making donations of cases of water and juice to the striking teachers. One such person was a former head teacher Sandra James who agreed with Figueira (a past student of hers) that it is time for a change within the teaching profession. “I am just passing around and said let me give that [juices and water] to the teachers,” adding, “it is high time they raise the salary of teachers; we work under pressure but it is high time, cost of living is too high it is rough.”
The chants continued with some teachers using paint buckets as drums, to amplify their voices for a change within the education sector and the treatment of educators, a noble profession at that.
