Fulfill your promises -Lewis tells gov’t
President David Granger surrounded by
members of the Local Government Officers
Union during one of his many stops as part of
his Labour Day activities
President David Granger surrounded by members of the Local Government Officers Union during one of his many stops as part of his Labour Day activities

TRADE Union leaders on Monday called on the government to fulfill its promises to the working-class people of the country.

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis speaks at the 2017 May Day rally at the National Park (Samuel Maughn photo)

Veteran Trade Unionist and General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis was the voice behind the call and noted the need for the full restoration of collective bargaining here. On assuming office the APNU+AFC Government has upheld collective bargaining. “Our united voices are calling for those promises to be fulfilled…if his (President David Granger) promises do not materialise; they are saying we are damn fools.”

Lewis made the comments while addressing workers at a rally held in the National Park. Following the rally President Granger made visits to the headquarters of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU) and the Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU).

In his address to public servants, Lewis reminded that it is was President Granger, who in 2011, while serving as Leader of the Opposition, called for a united trade union movement and noted the President’s subsequent charge last year, while opening the Guyana Trades Union Congress. Monday’s May Day rally saw representatives from the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), GTUC, and members of Government and the Opposition. “In 2017 the national unions have heed the call for this form of unity,” said Lewis.

A showcase of unity as members of the trade union movement and government and opposition representatives hold hands (Samuel Maughn photo)

The GTUC, he said, affirms that unity in purpose remains more significant and recognises that “unity must run much deeper than a gathering in physical proximity.” “Therefore it is for the trade union movement to continue its quest for deepening relationships and forging that unity of purpose that at times evade us. That unity that we advocate is premised on safeguarding and protecting human rights and dignity, equal pay, better conditions for workers, safe environment, respect for the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and good governance,” emphasised the GTUC General Secretary. The Trade Union movement he said is unified because of President Granger and as such the very movement, “raise our voices in unity calling on him to honour the letter sent by us in September 2016 requesting engagement, which is consistent with the mandate given us in the Guyana Constitution.”

Public servants listen keenly to a speaker on Monday during a May Day rally held at the National Park, Thomas Lands (Samuel Maughn photo)

Struggle
Meanwhile, Lewis called on workers to remain constant in the recognition that theirs is a right to struggle and to demand and to ensure that all the achievements are safeguard. “We the workers must remain constant regardless of who is in or out of power. We have to keep our voices united and resolutely on course. We have to keep our eyes on the prize. The politicians don’t grant us any favour. You elected them and they are entrusted with the responsibility to work for all, not only the elites at the top,” he added amid loud applause.

The restoration of collective bargaining in the public sector and the return of the agency-shop for public service unions were also among the calls made by Lewis. “These were the things undermined by the previous government that President Granger would have condemned; indicating that under his stewardship things will be different. Our unified voices are today raised, calling for these changes to be manifest.”

The GTUC, he added, demands that strident action to have a resolution on all outstanding matters between the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) and the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union. “This is the longest running struggle, where foreign force is being allowed to threaten the nation’s sovereignty when the laws so protect its citizens.” The Union, he said, acknowledges a letter sent by the Ministry of Social Protection to BCGI and GB&GWU with a view at going to the bargaining table. “…we will not rest our calls for justice, until justice is attained, not only perceived but real. The previous regime vindictively allowed BCGI to violate our laws because of who the workers are,” he added.

Additionally, the trade union movement called on President Granger to re-establish a Ministry of Labour as that Ministry is important for the shaping and executing of labour policies that affect all workers, past, present and potential. “We the people…trust that these requests today will not be a challenge for the President, given his stated commitment and desire for trade union unity, and that which he has sought and achieved here today. If they are still friends of the trade union movement as they were prior to 2015, they must prove it. We speak with one voice on these issues.”

Lewis stressed that the trade union movement does not exist in isolation but functions in an environment of politicians, employers, and workers (past, present and potential). He noted that as a movement with an inherent culture of organising, negotiating functional conflict and protest, the movement understands the importance of all variables. “In this context we further recognise the relationship between the union and politicians are cyclical, dependent on whether or not they are in power or the opposition. Those who find us as not relevant today are the same ones that would have found [us] relevant yesteryear, and the cycle continues as political seasons change,” he said noting that trade unionist do not have the option of “cherry picking human rights”.

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