Caribbean Teachers Rally Behind GTU as Union Dues Fight Escalates

The Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) long-running dispute with the Government over the deduction and remittance of union dues has taken on a wider Caribbean dimension, with the regional teachers’ body mobilising international support for the GTU and calling on Guyana to comply with a court order.

The Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) has launched a regional and international campaign in support of the GTU, urging its member organisations, trade-union affiliates, civil society groups and international labour allies to speak out over the dispute.

The campaign centres on the Government’s decision to discontinue the longstanding system under which union dues are deducted from teachers’ salaries and remitted to the GTU. The CUT says the move has undermined the union’s financial stability, independence and ability to function.