January 22, 2025
In a significant legal development, the Appeal Court has upheld the High Court’s ruling that requires the government to resume collecting union dues on behalf of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, came after Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory refused the government’s request to stay the execution of the High Court’s decision.
The government had sought to cease collecting union dues from teachers, following a decision made in February 2024.
However, High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon had ruled that the government must continue remitting the dues to the GTU.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall, in response to the ruling, described the decision as “strange but not surprising,” pointing to legal precedents from a similar case involving the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) over two decades ago.
Nandlall noted that, in that case, both the High Court and the Court of Appeal upheld the government’s decision to stop collecting union dues.
While expressing surprise at the ruling, Nandlall pointed out that Justice Gregory had previously acknowledged the potential success of an appeal, but nevertheless determined that the “justice of the case” did not justify a stay of the order.
He further revealed that the government intends to challenge the decision before the full court, with the possibility of escalating the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The ruling remains part of the government’s ongoing appeal against the High Court’s decision, with a date for hearing yet to be set.