Days after the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) approached the High Court to grant several orders, Justice Sandil Kissoon on Tuesday ruled that the High Court has no jurisdiction to do so in many of the applications that were presented before the court.
As such, Inews understands that GTU through its attorney, Darren Wade has withdrawn his interim Applications. However, the substantive case brought by the GTU against the Ministry of Education will continue on Wednesday.
As such, the court requested that the ministry provide all documents of previous meetings with the Guyana Teachers’ Union.
The GTU approached the High Court on Friday with an application asking the court to order the government to engage in collective bargaining for salaries from 2019 to 2023.
In addition, the union is also asking the High Court to declare that the bargaining agent has a right to negotiate from 2019 to 2023, and the refusal to do so constitutes a breach of the GTU and its members’ right to collective bargaining.
Further, the GTU has requested the court to declare that the minutes dated March 7, 2024, created a binding agreement, for negotiations and that that agreement arising from the minutes dated March 7, 2024, created legitimate expectations.
The union is also asking the High Court to order the Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar, to be held in contempt of court, for their unwillingness to discuss collective bargaining for the period in question.
