Teachers Picketing at the Ministry of Education, Brickdam
The Caribbean Union of Teachers (C.U.T.), a regional union body based in St. Lucia, on Tuesday issued a solidarity message to the members of the Guyana Teachers’ Union. Criticizing the Government of Guyana’s stance, the regional Union called for the needs of teachers to be adequately met.
“The Caribbean Union of Teachers (C.U.T.) stands in solidary with the members of the Guyana Teachers’ Union. The C.U.T. values all educators from its 26-member Caribbean grouping and when one is treated unjustly, the others feel the impact due to our connectedness,” the missive stated.
In the letter signed by Vern Charles, the General Secretary of the C.U.T., they expressed their full support of the industrial action taken by the teachers of Guyana and hoped that “good sense prevails on the part of the government”.
They further encouraged the recent actions on the side of the teachers and the G.T.U. and noted that they need to be persistent and unified in their demands for a fair contract. This unity, according to the C.U.T., will make the teachers’ stronger as they “take collective action to propel positive change.”
The actions taken by the Government thus far were condemned and said to show that they fail to comprehend the importance of teachers in ensuring that quality education is provided.
The C.U.T. urges the Government to continue the collective bargaining process to arrive at an equally beneficial decision, in an effort to prioritize education and education workers.