Grenada’s teachers and their Union leader continue to protest the failure of the government of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell to honor the 4% salary agreement that was negotiated since 2019, that he continues to deny them.
Mr. Jude Bartholomew, the President of the Grenada Union of Teachers (GUT) protested with educators the 4% increase that the government has refused to pay and spoke out demanding the wage increase for teachers.
The newly formed Group, Grenadians United, based in the Diaspora, who are all Citizens of Grenada, have denounced the government of Prime Minister Mitchell as anti-union and rebuked the administration for denying the workers of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique an increase in salary which is well deserved and long overdue.
Hundreds of educators, working people, across Grenada demonstrated for fair wages for themselves. People jammed the Capital and thundered their approval as the GUT President made his speech, the crowd clapped, sang and roared their determination to stand by their educators – “Our kids, our lives, our Union”
Today Grenada’s teachers are at a crossroad because Mitchell wants to take them backwards. “We want our 4% increase, we will not go back” This is not only the teachers’ demonstration. We must work together and unite across lines of occupation and Unions.
The peaceful demonstration was swelled by outrage at police by onlookers, as police officers were out in force, sent there with an aim to intimidate the workers.
A few days before the demonstrations, the Union leader, Mr. Jude Bartholomew was detained by Mitchell’s police force for irrelevant questioning, with one goal in mind which is to intimidate, harass and to discourage the protestors.
Grenada’s teachers are faced with growing problems. Prime Minister Mitchell and his team of capitalists, so-called politicians, believe that the future of educators lies in their system. Nothing could be further from the truth. The government has no plans to solve the problems the people face.
One teacher spelled out some of the conditions working people face in Grenada. “Despite the government fiddling with the figures, there is no getting away from the fact that there is mass unemployment here today,” he said.
In the last ten years, the employed population has declined. Thousands are living below the margins of the official poverty level.”
He went on to say that the bare statistics given by the Prime Minister, actually hide the full misery involved, are set against the background of the government’s claim of economic miracle over the last few years.
There has recently been a growing attack on democratic rights. The Union leaders must be prepared for the big labour struggles that will emerge from the devastating conditions of the coming economic and social crisis; they are attempting to safeguard democratic rights and freedom established through decades of working class struggle”.
The capitalist NNP government puts profits first, not people’s needs. Grenada’s working people must continue to fight back against their misery from the government.
“We have already negotiated, and have accepted in good faith the 4% increase, which as everyone knows is a miserable amount, yet the Prime Minister continues to play footsie with labour.”
Helen Grenade