PERCEPTIONS are held that trade unionism entails only wages and salaries. The truth is, properly practised, trade unionism takes a holistic approach to the well-being of workers, in and out of the workplace. This entails fighting for improved working conditions and standard of living for workers — past, present or potential- unionised or non-unionised and placing a premium on ensuring that their fundamental rights and freedoms are safeguarded and advanced.

It is the belief of Labour that the attainment of such requires an environment where good governance prevails, since such sets the tone to realise and enforce progressive laws, policies and programmes. The pursuit of this helps to explain why Labour began the fight in 1926 for internal self-government, because workers must foremost safeguard the right to self-determination, i.e. political, social, cultural, civic and economic. The trade union retains vested interest in ensuring that workers enjoy not only the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, but also housing, health services, education, potable water, electricity, etc. These are important in the life of every worker, given their pivotal place in enhancing development for workers and society.

In the specific case of housing, it was the trade union that led the way for creating the environment where workers can live with some level of dignity. Ownership represents achievement, permanency and influences the desire to stay and invest. There was a period when no right existed for tenants who were left at the mercy of landlords. The trade union, during the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, campaigned for tenants to have rights which saw the enactment/achievement of the Landlord Tenancy Act.

In independent Guyana the trade union commenced the programme of advancing the cooperative spirit. This led to the establishment of several credit unions and the Trades Union Congress Housing Cooperative (TUCHC).  The decision to establish the TUCHC was driven by the success of establishing communities in the immediate post-slave society, using the cooperative model. It was Labour’s aim to harness the resources of the working class, among whom many were still being exploited by landlords. Another factor too was that while some may have migrated from the rural areas into the city and began raising families and establishing permanency, the opportunity to do so in appropriate space was eluding them.

The aforementioned realities informed the establishment of the trade union’s first major housing scheme, i.e. TucVille in south Georgetown, as our pilot project. This project was conceptualised and executed under the TUC’s leadership of Richard Ishmael as president and Joseph Pollydore as general-secretary with his able assistant, George DePeana.

The design of this scheme commenced in 1967 and made provisions for a playground, school, health clinic and a modern sewage system, which, if fully activated can satisfy the requirement established under the Cartagena Convention for the processing of liquid waste. As the current administration speaks about a “Green” Economy, this waste disposal system can be used as a catalyst for modernising the approach to liquid waste management. In this specific case, the trade union was ahead of the time.

In acquisition of these houses, the TUC was able to negotiate with the American Federation for Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations (ALF-CIO) for money to be acquired from the pension funds for workers in the United States to be used to fund the project. This money passed through the Royal Bank Trust Company (RBTC) that was authorised to give loans to members of the TUCHC. In fact, every recipient for a house who had paid off the loan through RBTC would have had to go to the TUCHC for the necessary clearance for the transport to be relieved of any liability.

Some of the works in TucVille were done by contractors and some by self-help. Official time-off for the workers was negotiated with their unions. It was during this period that the TUC and the Forbes Burnham government recognised the acute shortage of skilled artisans such as carpenters, plumbers, masons and electricians. Against this backdrop, the trade union again went to the ALF-CIO which facilitated the process for acquisition of a grant for the establishment of the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), which is housed at the corner of Albert Street and Woolford Avenue, opposite the TUC headquarters/Critchlow Labour College. The overwhelming success of the TucVille project saw the TUC moving for the establishment of TucBer in New Amsterdam.

As the waterfront became mechanised and there was the indication that a number of persons were going to lose their jobs, the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) under the leadership of Samuel Walker, Stanton Critchlow and Eugene Fowler approached the Forbes Burnham government. An arrangement was worked out for establishment of the Stevedore Housing Scheme in south Georgetown, with a view to saving many who were still tenants.

The upsurge in the role of Labour in housing development has seen the trade unions negotiating progressive housing programmes. For instance, the Postal & Telecommunications Workers Union (PTWU) negotiated with Telecoms and Post Office for a scheme in south Georgetown. In 1976, The Guyana Mines Union and the Guyana Bauxite Supervisors Union, now the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) negotiated with GUYMIME a package for 120 employees each year to be given a grant of $6000.00 and an equivalent loan of $6000.00 for the purchase of housing. This led to the establishment of Wisroc Housing Scheme, Phases I, II, III and IV; Amelia’s Ward self-help scheme, Ituni Housing Scheme, Kwakwani Housing Scheme, and BERMINE Housing Scheme in New Amsterdam.

In 2000 Norris Witter, President of the TUC and yours truly as general-secretary, supported by Andrew Garnett, principal assistant general-secretary, conceptualised and developed a proposal for the establishment of a major housing scheme on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. A request was submitted to the Bharrat Jagdeo government for same, after a signed agreement with his administration on the 8th March 2000, with the clear understanding that the land identified would have been released to the TUC.  The TUC was never given the land and when the Jagdeo government was no longer, we approached the Lands and Surveys Commission and sought to re-activate the application, only to find out that of the identified 3000 acres, 2300 were disposed of to friends and families of the PPP/C.

The TUC is in the process of re-designing the project with a view to submit same to the APNU+AFC government and trusts that the organisation would be favourably considered in order that Labour can continue to play a meaningful role in housing development as a critical element in improving the quality of life for workers.