By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – University of Guyana Students and workers are set to intensify protest action on Wednesday, February 04 taking their woes to the Office of the President on Vlissengen road.
While no University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS) official was available for comment, the move was confirmed by well-placed sources within the UGSS. In addition, the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) has confirmed that it will be a part of the protest action.
Both the UGSS and UGWU joined arms in a protest on Tuesday morning, virtually shutting down the campus, refusing to allow any access to it.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Jacob Opadeyi will not be continuing his one man protest against UG workers and Students.
This was confirmed by Dr Opadeyi during a telephone interview with iNews on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, Opadeyi had launched his one man protest on the Railway Embankment urging the lecturers to return to their jobs on campus. He had also called for the government and private sector to do more in support of Guyana’s primary tertiary education institution.
Opadeyi told iNews that he is not aware of any planned meetings between the UG workers unions and UG administration.
One of his preconditions for the workers returning to their jobs was that they be granted a “minimal” salary increase and other fringe benefits which would have to come from the government inclusive of duty free concessions and house lots.
But this proposal had been rejected by the head of UGWU Melissa Ifill who said that workers would still need to be paid proper salaries to pay for vehicles and house lots.
She said that for UG’s salary to be on the same scale with the lowest paying comparable institution, the salary would have to be increased by some %200.
