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Kaieteur News– The public school teachers’ strike has torn another gaping hole in the fabric of Guyana. The age-old tug-of-war between politics and clean ends, race and equity has once again been revived. Guyanese have always lived in distressing conditions. Teachers have had a hard time and their trauma has not stopped. When was the last time the citizens of this country heard of a 6% change in this great new era? If this is a chess game, it can be called an opening. This is life, and it is a hard life, and no one should mistake it for a game. If this is a game, then Guyanese have lost in any season. In an era of luxury, abundance, teachers were given a mere 6% change and it was called a warm welcome. Someone must be crazy and I know that person cannot be me.
GHK Lal
The government is offering a low rate of 6%. As far as low rates go, few can get lower than that. A finger poked in the eye and an insulting smile on the face. Take it and do what you will. The teachers argue that there is no such element in the 6% that the PPP government has so arrogantly put on the table. Incidentally, if my favorite Venezuelan, Nicolás Maduro, can use this term to describe Guyana’s head of state while his people remain silent, then describing the government’s paltry 6% offer as arrogant should not be met with any resistance. Granted, I am a little higher in PPP land than Maduro…
From the lowest 6% (what old Guyanese used to call kuckabeh), some sense emerged in the government and the people were surprised to find that they could count higher. The new bright spot for the PPP is 7.5%. From my perspective as a clinical observer, the new 7.5% is 6% tied with a pale ribbon. Something tells me that some members of the small group of political conspirators in the PPP government are gloating over the extravagant 7.5% salary increase. Apparently, the Guyana Teachers Union is not optimistic about the second offer. I think the GTU saw the original 6% for what it was. It was nothing more than an embalming fluid to whitewash the mess. Just as the proposed 6% salary increase was stillborn as soon as it arrived, the government think tanks and accountants must know that 7.5% is meaningless and is just another false start. The question is how many times will the government repeat this incremental incrementalism? How many more reluctant, watertight, ever-increasing percentages will be used as bait to deceive Guyana’s teachers? How many more of these leadership tricks are the President, Vice President and those in charge of the country’s funds prepared to use, becoming part of a now full-fledged scam with all the hallmarks? Thank you Mr. President for the rare transparency. And how long will it last? By the way, given the liberal environment and culture, I can accept the financial responsibility of Dr. AK Singh with his initials. Moreover, with those initials, is he the embodiment of a ruthless banker with those percentages of funds? Yes, curiosity kills a cat like me. Although I digress, the point is simple: leave the money to the teachers in Guyana, bro. I am sure there are secrets hidden in many places, especially with Guyana’s oil revenues expected to reach a ceiling and then break through it. Bharrat Jagdeo said it himself, not me. Maximizing revenue is a term that the Americans have instilled in him. Just like he has proven himself to be a loyal soldier for foreign interests, he is more than happy to deliver good news. Now his government must deliver on its promises. The teachers would rather have the government invest upfront than later. Just make all the numbers add up and be binding on all parties.
After two test-waters (6%, then 7.5%), I hear the wise men in the PPP government have upped the ante to 9%, and are getting closer and closer to the real starting point. Clearly, GTU hasn’t listened either: 9% is not good. The public response has been muted, with talk of abandoning this fool and starting over. That is left to the imagination, as opposed to behind closed doors. I detect growing impatience with the penny-pinching approach taken by the government. Start low (6%), then raise the stakes by raising it by 1.5%, then another 1.5%. This stakes has more chips to make up for the shortfall. I speak for myself, not GTU. I think an additional 3% increase, with some incentives attached, as a symbol of serious intent, might induce some rational acceptance in the GTU corner. At the current slow pace of 1.5%, it may take two more rounds before things settle into a state where both sides are calm. Or they fester with claims and counterclaims about who is operating in good faith and who is operating in bad faith.
For its part, the BJP government can claim that it increased the wage increase by 50% (from 6% to 9%). The GTU can point out that for years the government had negotiated constructively to reach a fair deal, but was turned away with insulting proposal after insulting proposal. All things considered, I think the BJP government had to start negotiations with a double-digit increase. It started with half the increase it should have, maybe even a third. Teachers, parents and citizens are now waiting for the government. My advice is to act sensibly and manage expectations. Know the local context and know the parties. Know the norms.
(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.)
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