– President rebuffs calls for re-establishment of Labour Ministry
PRESIDENT David Granger on Tuesday rejected calls for the re-establishment of a Labour Ministry, saying that his government has in place all the ministries it intended to operate.
Trade union leaders have been at the forefront of the calls for the reestablishment of a Ministry of Labour. Government has merged labour into the Social Protection Ministry with a dedicated minister in charge of labour and occupational health and safety issues.
However at the Labour Day rally held at the National Park, Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis, renewed calls for the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government to re-establish a Ministry of Labour. The Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security was renamed the Ministry of Social Protection when the APNU+AFC Government took office in 2015. The Department of Labour, which is now headed by Minister Keith Scott, now falls under that ministry.
When approached on the issue, during a visit to the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) at Woolford Avenue on Tuesday, President Granger made it clear that no new ministry will be established. “We have established, after three years, every ministry that we intend to establish,” President Granger said in response to a Guyana Chronicle question. The President noted that even with the Oil and Gas Industry on the horizon, a decision has been taken to have no new ministry.
“We are not going to establish any new ministry even with the economic importance of the Petroleum Industry, I resisted [a] call to make a new ministry, it is going to be a department until we find our feet,” the President said while emphasising that “the number of ministries is unlikely to increase.”
However, Lewis in his address, hailed Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams as a friend of Labour. “As Opposition Member of Parliament and shadow minister of Labour he served us well for more than decade. Labour can recount stories where he advanced our cause in the National Assembly, provided free representation in Court, and made financial contributions if called upon,” Lewis thundered.
He turned to PPP/C elected Member of Parliament Gillian Burton-Persaud, a trade unionist in her right, and the Opposition spokesperson on Labour in the National Assembly. He said it is fitting that “today we implore on you to bring a Motion to the House seeking the re-establishment of the Ministry of Labour. Labour is prepared to work with you to bring this to fruition and hopes you take this commitment in the spirit of solidarity.”
Lewis continued: “Labour holds out optimism that Minister Williams would be able to use this experience in impressing on his administration the wisdom of having a Ministry of Labour and the benefit of treating Labour as a Social Partner consistent with Article 38 and 149C of the Guyana Constitution.”
Lewis claimed that the absence of a Ministry of Labour not only signals the value government places on a country’s most valued resource but also communicates to allies and foes of Guyana that Guyanese are not considered pivotal to the country’s development, and such perception is reinforced with the country’s non-attendance to International Labour Organisation Conferences for the past three years. “Where we know better and different we must continue to act accordingly for development of society requires of us staying the course,” Lewis stated.
COLLABORATION
Meanwhile, at the GTU, in addition to addressing the issue of an additional ministry, President Granger said this is now the time for cooperation and collaboration. “We have passed through the age of confrontation we are now in the age of cooperation and collaboration. I have worked with the GTU, I have worked with the GPSU, and I will work with any union,” President Granger said. He said this year, was the first time he sat face to face with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) which are representing the interest of thousands of sugar workers in the country.
“The important thing is that the future of Guyana is in the hands of the workers and also of the government and civil society, and we have to work together,” he told reporters, while describing his Government as one that listens and cares for its people, and learns.
The door of the Ministry of the Presidency is open to all union leaders, President Granger added. To mark the Labour Day, President Granger visited five unions: GTU, Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU), the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU) and the Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU). During the visits, President Granger and a team of ministers including Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, and Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally, met with the workers, and the executive members at their various locations.
