THE Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) joined with the world to commemorate July 4 as International Cooperative Day. This year’s theme, ‘Choose co-operatives, choose equality’, is more than timely given the tenet that grounds this nation’s character. In that we the people hold true to the motto, ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’, which is the underpinning of our sovereignty as the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is testimony to the importance of cooperation in safeguarding territorial integrity and ensuring social, cultural, political and economic development.
Ours is a nation whose people through cooperative endeavours have toppled oppressive systems of slavery, indentureship and colonialism; warded off threats to our sovereignty; established the Village Movement; secured independence and republican status and built a system of government on equality for all. It is through cooperatives that the small man (the majority in society) has the greatest opportunity to self-development as seen in housing, education, business and other pursuits.
The GTUC acknowledges the primacy of the cooperative model as an engine of growth in our society. We refer to Article 38 in the Constitution where the pursuit of “National co-operation for development of [the] economy” mandates “It is the duty of the State, co-operatives, trade unions, other socio-economic organisations and the people through sustained and disciplined endeavours, to achieve the highest possible levels of production and productivity and to develop the economy in order to ensure the realisation of the rights set out in this Chapter.”
As homage is paid to our nation’s historical journey and achievements of its people, the GTUC sees it fitting to reiterate its call to Government to restore “Cooperative” to its primacy of place in ministerial identification, national documents and the tri-sector economy upon which this nation is built, and survival of cooperative institutions is ensured. The majority in the society falls within the rank of the small man and cooperatives remain a vital engine for equality and development. In the words of a national song, “Let us co-operate for Guyana [and] do it right together.”

GUYANA TRADES UNION CONGRESS