Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir has joined the striking Teachers on the country wide protest at the Brickdam location. In an interview with the Guyana Economist, she stated that her Guyanese identity and the reality of being a teacher’s child led her to support the teachers’ strike. She also addressed the realities of teachers whose jobs transcend the walls of their classrooms.
The MP emphasized that the opposition has attempted over the last four budgets to highlight minor changes to the allocations in the public sector investment program that can reduce waste and redirect those funds to pay the nation’s public servants a “livable wage”. She asserted that despite Guyana’s status of being the fastest growing economy in the world, the teachers are paid the fourth lowest wage in the CARICOM.
Furthermore, she addressed the notion of the GTU Strike being politically motivated by asserting that being a Guyanese citizen allows her the right to be involved in “just struggle”. According to her, the teachers struggle is “just and right” and that their requests are in no way unreasonable but are legitimate.
Ms. Walton-Desir called on the Guyanese populace to stand in solidarity with the teachers stating that this causse is one that “every Guyanese should stand for” as the government has the means to provide better renumerations for the nation’s educators.