There are growing signs of a further deterioration in relations between the Keith Mitchell-led ruling New National Party (NNP) administration and the nation’s teachers.
The two are currently engaged in a war of attrition on pension and gratuity payments due to teachers and other members of the public service.
Government delivered a stinging blow to teachers when it docked their salaries for taking strike action to press their demands for a 25% payment in the face of an offer of 2% on pension and gratuity payment by the State.
The teachers and their bargaining body, the Grenada Union of Teachers (GUT) reacted by instituting a work to rule which saw their membership engaged in only direct school activities and not working outside of the stipulated school hours.
The island’s secondary schools are about to suffer a major blow with the announcement that School Principals and Teachers have decided to cancel the annual Intercol Games.
Following is the full text of the release on the cancellation of Intercol in which an individual school is crowned as King and Queen on track and field events in Grenada:
The Grenada Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, proprietor of INTERCOL Games, has cancelled INTERCOL Games 2019.
The Grenada Association of Principals of Secondary Schools wishes to inform the General Public that there will be NO INTERCOL Games in 2019.
The success of these Games over the years have depended entirely on the volunteerism of teachers across the nation, going beyond the call of duty to prepare our students and to execute the Games.
As a result of the current industrial impasse between the Grenada Union of Teachers and the Government of Grenada, teachers have been resolute in their decision to not volunteer their time towards the staging of preliminary events and heats that lead up to the Games. In addition, teachers are not prepared to manage students beyond the stipulated working hours.
Therefore, as the proprietor of the INTERCOL Games, the Grenada Association of Principals of Secondary Schools together with the Grenada Secondary School Games Association and our title sponsor, had to take the difficult decision to cancel the GAMES for 2019.
We have agreed to begin the process of planning and preparing for our INTERCOL Games in 2020.
It is our hope that all matters relative to the current industrial impasse between the Grenada Union of Teachers and the Government of Grenada will be speedily resolved in the interest of preserving the spirit of volunteerism and good will within the teaching fraternity.
Meanwhile, the Grenada Union of Teachers also announced the cancellation of the annual National Primary Schools games as part of the ongoing impasse with the NNP-led regime.
Following is the full text of the GUT release on the games:
“It is with deep regret that The Grenada Union of Teachers announces the cancellation of its titled sponsored National Primary Schools’ Games.
The Union further informs that there will be NO sports held in the various parishes this year.
These meets usually act as a build up to the much-anticipated National Games and are manned by our teachers who go the extra mile to ensure success.
Due to the existing industrial climate our members regrettably are unprepared to go beyond the call of duty therefore after discussion with our sponsors the decision was taken to cancel ALL G.U.T organised Sports meet this year.
It is our hope that there will be speedy resolve to this impasse for the benefit of all and we look forward to 2020 when the Games promises to be bigger and better and the Union hosts the Caribbean Union of Teachers’ Under 15 Biennial Games”.