According to GTU’s rule book, Coretta McDonald should not be General Secretary – Jagdeo

Coretta McDonald who has held the position of General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) for well over a decade, could now be occupying the position in contravention of the rules of the union.

This is according to General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who told a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday that the disqualification of McDonald is based on the rule book of the union.

Reading from clauses of the rule book, Jagdeo noted that teachers who serve as Members of Parliament (MPs) can only be associate members of the union.

McDonald is a teacher who also serves as an APNU+AFC Parliamentarian and GS for the GTU.

But Jagdeo noted that according to the rule book of the GTU, an associate member will have voting rights but cannot hold the position of President or General Secretary.

So, according to its own rules, McDonald who was first sworn in as an MP in 2020, should not have been allowed to continue serving as GS of the GTU.

Jagdeo, who also serves as the country’s Vice President, said this is another blow to the union’s credibility which has since been found to lack transparency in the management of billions of dollars collected in dues in recent years.

Last week, it was made public that the last audited statement submitted to the Auditor General by the GTU was in 1989, a breach of the constitution of the GTU.

Additionally, the GTU is required to submit financial statements, audited or not, to the Registrar. This was last done in 2004.

As a result, the GTU could be struck off from the trade unions list because of these lapses, rendering the union without the authority to represent workers.

Led by McDonald and GTU President, Mark Lyte, scores of teachers have been engaged in a countrywide strike action over wages and salaries for almost two weeks now.

The strike has been deemed illegal by the government based on the fact that negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the GTU did not break down.