by Nisha Paul
- GUT marks 113 years of representing educators in Grenada
- Some teachers have been waiting up to 8 months for money owed to them
- Temporary suspension of some ministry services since 3 June
Some teachers in Grenada have been waiting up to 8 months for money owed to them, according to the Grenada Union of Teachers (GUT), which is accusing the Ministry of Education of failing to adequately address long-standing payment delays affecting educators.
The dispute intensified last Friday after the Ministry of Education issued a statement responding to concerns raised by the union over what GUT President Jude Bartholomew described as “extremely late payments” to teachers.
The issue has been a source of frustration for months, with the union contending that complaints about delayed salaries and outstanding payments date back to September 2025.
While the ministry said most outstanding cases have been resolved, the GUT argues the problem remains more widespread than officials have acknowledged.
In its statement, the ministry said it had received from the GUT “a list of 17 teachers who had partial payments between September 2025 and April 2026” and noted that efforts were continuing to address the matter.
“The ministry advises that all teachers on the list are currently receiving their salaries and that it has been actively working to address these outstanding payments. To date, the majority of the affected cases have been resolved,” the statement said.
The ministry added that the remaining cases were receiving active attention, with additional payments expected to be processed during the June payroll cycle.
However, Bartholomew challenged both the ministry’s characterisation of the problem and the number of teachers affected. “We receive complaints every day which are sent to the ministry,” he told reporters at a press conference last Friday. “So, it’s much more than 17, and whether it is 17 teachers, 100, 500 teachers or one teacher, that is not the essence of the matter. It doesn’t matter. You should move speedily to pay the teachers.”
Bartholomew further accused the ministry of presenting the issue in a way that could mislead the public about the extent of the problem. “The release was crafted in a very smart way,” he said, claiming it was intended “to confuse the public” and make the union’s concerns appear less significant.
While acknowledging the ministry’s current challenges with its physical office facilities, which have resulted in a temporary suspension of some services since 3 June, Bartholomew argued that those difficulties cannot explain payment delays that have persisted for months.
He said the union has repeatedly raised the issue with the Ministry of Education, the Public Service Commission, the Department of Public Administration, the Minister for Education and the Permanent Secretary. “We are in the month of June. We’ve been complaining for a very long time, and it seems like they are taking it for a joke,” he said.
According to the GUT president, the ministry’s statement failed to provide the full context surrounding the dispute. “What the ministry has not been telling the public is how long the GUT and teachers have been dealing with this matter for late payments and lack thereof, and other grievances that the members have, and they have not been forthcoming in addressing this matter expeditiously.”
The dispute comes as the GUT marks 113 years of representing educators in Grenada. For the GUT, the dispute is about more than payroll administration. The union argues that months-long delays undermine morale and place financial strain on educators who continue reporting to work while waiting for money they have already earned.
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