– Komal Chand tells GAWU congress
– Asks for ‘special effort’ by GuySuCo
PRESIDENT of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) Komal Chand, Saturday said the union is confident that it will overcome the challenges it faces and that its members will play a critical role in the future of the sugar industry .
Speaking at the 21st Delegates Congress of the union at the Bath Primary School, West Coast Berbice , Chand said that the sugar industry, which he said remains the country’s single largest source of employment, has a healthy future .
“Indeed, we believe that the industry has a bright and sustainable future,” he declared.
The congress, which runs until August 23, is being held under the theme “United Struggles for Workers’ Rights, Democracy and a Secure Future.”
Addressing a packed audience dressed in red, Chand said that the union had faced its share of challenges in the past and overcame those, and the current challenges would be dealt with in similar fashion. He said that GAWU is confident of its strength and that the union remains “unshakeable.”
“GAWU is of the view that the situation requires special efforts of [the] corporation,” he said of relations with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Chand said the corporation continues to refuse to engage the union on matters of concern to the body, especially its demands for pay increases for sugar workers.
He called on the interim management committee of GuySuco to bring an end to the decisions which it took in recent times. He called for dialogue with the corporation in order to bring an amicable end to problems affecting workers.
President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, addressed the gathering, which included Former President Donald Ramotar and several Opposition Members of Parliament.
According to Lewis, the APNU +AFC government and Guysuco “must talk” on wages issues affecting the workers. He recalled the actions of the previous administration and its treatment of issues affecting workers , including the issues affecting workers at RUSAL , the bauxite firm in Region 10. “It happened when Bharrat Jagdeo was president of this country,” he said of the problems which have been affecting the bauxite workers.
As the Opposition MPs looked on, Lewis noted that the Donald Ramotar Administration had resorted to arbitration in its attempt to iron out the problems at RUSAL, but according to him, the issue remains unsolved. “Same thing happening all the time,” he said.
Lewis called on the sugar workers to face their “struggles,” noting that GAWU will continue to ensure that their well -being, including those from the past , present and future , are addressed. But he called on the workers to take on the mantle without fear. “Don’t depend on anybody to do it for you”, he said noting that the workers must “struggle “since it’s a matter of necessity.
Lewis recounted the history of the trade union movement in Guyana, noting that while the country attained 50 years of independence from Britain this year,the struggle for independence started with the trade union movement way before the political parties came to prominence. He went as far back as 1926 when the Caribbean Trades Union Congress commenced.
He said that the rights of workers today continue to be under threat by politicians as he called for the rights of workers to be respected.
The opening of the congress lasted for several hours as several Opposition MPs, including Indra Chandarpal, Chief Whip , Gail Teixeira and Frank Anthony took swipes at the government while commenting on GAWU and its mandate.
