Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has reasoned that the government’s salary increase proposal for teachers would see them earning $12 billion in three years.
The government has proposed increases at rates of 10%, 8% and 9% for 2024, 2025 and 2026 respectively.
This offer was made last week as negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) continue to settle on a multi-year agreement for increase in wages and salaries and other benefits for the educators.
But the GTU, though its membership is divided on the offer, has rejected it.
During a press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo contended the government’s offer is a good one, noting that “when you look at it cumulatively, that will be about just about $12 billion…that is to increase wages and salaries alone for the teachers…or over US$60M alone leaving out the other adjustments that we will be making.”
He noted that the government already spends approximately $40 billion on teachers packages per year.
The Vice President went on to criticise comments by General Secretary of the GTU Coretta McDonald who, according to media reports, said the Union will not accept the Government’s offer. He noted that McDonald is not promoting a decision that was agreed on at the level of the Union’s General Council.
“…she sabotages the general council [of the union] and she gets the headline as though she is speaking on behalf of the union but misleading the newspapers,” Jagdeo stated.
“Coretta McDonald wants to derail this for political reasons,” he added.
He was referring to media reports that the GTU’s President Mark Lyte had initially decided to accept the government’s offer.
The GTU and the Government have been in negotiations since July 11 after months of prolonged industrial action by teachers. Earlier in the month, the GTU conceded to the Government’s proposal that salary increases for teachers be determined under a new agreement from the current year onward.
