Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Shanielle Hoosein-Outar has responded to the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) letter of Tuesday, May 07, indicating that the Ministry is surprised at the intent to restart strike action from Thursday.

While the GTU claims that this is due to failed collective bargaining with the Ministry of Education, Ms. Hoosein-Outar in her letter to the GTU, said the government stands ready to engage the Guyana Teachers’ Union on a multi-year agreement from 2024 onwards.

The PS reaffirmed the Government of Guyana’s commitment to fostering open communication and collaboration with the GTU to address pertinent matters concerning the nation’s teachers.

“The Government of Guyana recognizes the invaluable contributions of teachers to the development of the country,” a statement from the Ministry noted.

“As partners in progress, the Government of Guyana remains resolute in its commitment to improving the lives of workers including the nation’s teachers. To this end dozens of actions have already been taken,” the statement added.

An initial five-week strike began on February 5, with teachers demanding higher salary increases and duty-free concessions, among other benefits.

After a court-mediated process in March, talks between the Education Ministry and GTU resumed. However, discussions halted when the Education Ministry indicated that there was no fiscal space to cater for increases for the period 2019 -2023.

On April 19, a court ruling by Judge Sandil Kissoon stated that teachers’ salaries should not be reduced because of their involvement in the previous five-week strike organised by the GTU. That ruling will soon be appealed.