THE Critchlow Labour College (CLC) was established with the prime objective of providing workers’ (past, present and potential) education and trade union training. From its inception, it received support from the Government of Guyana, which came in the form of technical and financial resources. Notably, a technical study by the International Labour Organisation on the establishment of the college came at the initiative of the then Minister of Labour, Claude Merriman.
From the inception, CLC received grants/subventions from the government. Later, as the nation moved toward the model of self-sufficiency, where citizens and workers were seen as pivotal, the college attracted a yearly grant/subvention through the national budget to help prepare and equip workers for the new economy.
The CLC usually prepares its budget which is submitted and represented to the Ministry of Education, who in turn will incorporate same into their Education Programme and submit to the Ministry of Finance. The last sum given to the college by the PPP government in 2007 was $32M. In 2016, a budget for approximately $65M was submitted by the college. It should be said it is not unusual for the government to give grants to trade union colleges, which is a form of community college, since they play a role in educating and training of workers and citizens for the economy.
We see in the USA government giving grants to universities and community colleges and the American Federation for Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisation (AFL-CIO) George Meany Centre for Labour Studies. In Trinidad, the Cipriani Labour College is funded by the government. In Barbados, both the Barbados Workers College and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Academy were funded by the government. In Jamaica, the Trade Union Institute, which is part of the University of the West Indies is funded by the government. Suriname’s Labour College is funded by the government.
Under the Granger/Nagamootoo government, the nation is advised that the administration’s economic model will be that of a Green Economy. A Green Economy, contrary to the held notion, is not only about planting trees and removing garbage. While these are elements of environmental sustainability and health protection, such economy is hinged on indigenous use of a nation’s resources in a sustainable manner for the people’s development, which is built on adherence to ILO Core Labour Standards and respect for laws, conventions and charters.  Additionally, a Green Economy will create new types of jobs which are required to confirm with ILO standards.
Outside of this column and the Guyana Trades Union Congress, this nation has not had the benefit of understanding what the Green Economy entails and the corresponding responsibility of government and the people to make it possible. New jobs in the Green Economy in Guyana’s reality are expected to see agrarian reform, reformation in mining practices, use of natural energy and sustainable harvesting of the forest. All these sectors will see intensification of new practices, which require new education and training for citizens and those in the workforce.
During the period Guyana was pursuing a Self-sufficiency Programme, every student at CLC was required to participate in agricultural activities as a pre-requisite for graduation. In preparation for the Green Economy, the CLC has commenced work in 2015 in adjusting its programmes to include at least the basic fundamentals of Core Labour Standards, its purpose, and how these ought to be used as tools in the workplace for development.
To meet the existing challenges of an inevitable new labour market, starting from this year new programmes such as Marketing, Occupational Safety and Health, Labour Policies and Green Economy, and Industrial Relations are being rolled out at the levels of Associate Degrees. There is also collaboration with the Texila American University for the execution of a Master’s programme in Food Security certified by this university.
Making these programmes cost-effective for the average worker who does not enjoy a real wage, the unemployed, underemployed, self-employed and employer requires government aiding in offsetting some overhead costs that will ensure the CLC provides quality services below market rates. This column awaits the complete examination of the budget to ascertain the seriousness placed on the Green Economy and the government’s preparedness to invest in the workforce.