Guyana Govt, teachers’ union agree on salary increases for teachers
The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) said Wednesday it had reached an agreement with Guyana’s Ministry of Education for a three-year salary increase that also includes several non-salary benefits for teachers.
GTU President Dr. Mark Lyte and the second Vice President, Julian Cambridge, signed the agreement with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar and Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain.
“Congratulations to the Guyana Teachers Union and the Government of Guyana represented by the Ministry of Education, for sensibly and civilly reaching an agreement that covers the period 2024 to 2026 about benefits for teachers,” said Education Minister, Priya Manickchand.
Dr Lyte, said the increases are 10 per cent this year, eight per cent in 2025 and nine per cent the following year.
“The percentages are the same that the General Council accepted,” he said, adding that the GTU could not have reneged on the previously accepted pay hikes and return to the employer to reopen talks on further increases.
“The fact that the General Council accepted the percentages, the negotiating team couldn’t refuse it so that’s the basis of it,” he said.
In a statement, the GTU said that the GTU executives were instructed by the General Council at a meeting held on Friday, August 9, “by a majority vote to accept the salary and non-salary package offered by MOE (Ministry of Education).”
“This General Council instruction is binding according to Rule 13 of the Guyana Teachers’ Union Constitution,” the GTU said.
In its statement, the GTU confirmed it had reached an agreement on salaries and non-salaries benefits for teachers covering the period 2024-2026.
“This agreement comes after months of talks between the two sides. The General Council decision reflects the members’ wishes based on the instructions given to the executives,” the union said.
It noted that the package includes salary increases and a range of non-salary enhancements such as allowances, duty-free concessions, housing, revolving fund, scholarships, clothing allowance, health coverage, hinterland and riverain benefits, opening up of new positions for teachers on the salary scale, and re-employment incentives, among others.
It said these benefits aim to provide additional support for teachers not only in their professional growth, but also in their personal and family lives.
The union has been demanding a 39.5 per cent increase for 2024 and 30 per cent for the following two years. But the union said that the government is offering 10 per cent for this year, eight per cent in 2025 and nine per cent for 2026.
Earlier this year, thousands of teachers participated in a 75-day strike to demand collective bargaining for financial matters. The High Court later ruled in favour of the union, and the Guyana Court of Appeal is yet to hear the government’s appeal.
The GTU and the Ministry of Education eventually returned to the bargaining table, after demands for an interim pay hike or a one-off cash grant of GUY$150,000 per teacher, pending the outcome of negotiations were rejected by the government. —GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)