…Min. Ally calls motion political mischief

GOVERNMENT used its majority to defeat a motion calling for the re-establishment of a Ministry of Labour, with Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally describing the motion moved by the opposition Member of Parliament Gillian Burton-Persaud, as having “a sense of political mischief.”

Minister Ally said the motion brought before the House was, “lacking in facts, truth and completely distorted.” She recalled the usual five per cent wage increases given by the former PPP administration annually, along with the de-bunching issues with teachers, the disregard shown to schools sweeper/ cleaners, and the muzzling of labour unions.
The minister also reminded the House that Article 107 of the constitution empowers the President to appoint ministers to oversee any ministry or department, hence, the creation of the Departments of Labour, Social Protection and Citizenship. The motion, Minister Ally said, was merely a “veiled attack on President Granger’s decisions,” and one which her colleagues would not condone.

According to the social protection minister, the ministry’s new outlook is in keeping with the new direction of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), with social protection and labour together, to better serve populations worldwide. The Decent Work Agenda, Minister Ally added, has realised several achievements such as the Decent Work Country Programme from 2017 to 2021, which promotes better working conditions for all.
She cited amendments to labour laws, the expansion of cooperative societies, a national policy on occupational safety and health, the revitalised National Council on Occupational Health and Safety Council, the enhancement of the Department of Labour’s staff and bettering of workers’ and employers’ relationships via more on-site inspections. The decline of strikes has been reduced significantly for the same period since taking office; this was also noted by the minister.

The government also increased the minimum wage levels and created a framework for a comprehensive labour agreement for example, between RUSAL and its workers. A simple modification of the name has not affected the work of the ministry and the dedicated minister is performing well, Minister Ally reminded, as she urged the opposition to “listen and learn.” Labour and Social Protection go hand in hand with social justice, she reiterated and said that the government is cognisant of the interconnection between the two departments to enhance to lives of all. “Let good governance prevail”, she further added, as she called on the House not to support the motion. After strenuous presentations by both sides, the motion was put to vote and was defeated by the government’s side.
Burton-Persaud’s motion was inspired by members of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) who had urged the opposition to table such a motion. “The trade union community can safely say it has a sense as to where the opposition will vote. This notwithstanding, expectations are being held [that] the house will deliver unanimous support for the motion,” said veteran trade unionist and General-Secretary of the GTUC, Lincoln Lewis, during a recent press briefing at Critchlow Labour College.

He said that the ministry does not have to be a separate entity, but the word labour could be added to the Ministry of Social Protection, making it the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. “The absence of a Ministry of Labour is a disservice to Guyanese and the historical development of the society,” said Lewis. Although labour is not a separate ministry, it is a department within the Social Protection Ministry which is headed by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott.

Lewis however contended that labour deserves recognition and the trade union community in unison as such expects that the motion will see spirited discussion on the workers’ contributions to building Guyana from the ground up with their sweat. He said: “Labour’s demand for equal prominence and treatment in the structure of governance is well deserving. We are not asking for a new minister, we are asking for equal treatment.”
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has 189 conventions. Social protection deals with 17, leaving more than 170 unattended or not having equal treatment. This, he said, will also be another issue that will be addressed if labour receives recognition. He said too that 2018 marks 92 years since the working class sat in that august house for the first time, deliberated and developed a strategy to move the peoples of the Caribbean toward political independence under a system of governance that will respect and treat them as first-class citizens. “It was March 1926, the father of trade unionism in Guyana and the British Commonwealth, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow and other erstwhile Caribbean labour leaders, decided at a conference that from henceforth the workers will fight for one-man-one-vote (universal adult suffrage), representative leadership, public education, universal healthcare, paid leave, housing, a 40-hour work week, eight-hour work day, prison reform, internal self-government and ownership of the economy, etc.

He had said as the parliamentarians debate the motion, not only must the work and achievements of the working class be seized, but also the struggles pursued and scars attained that made it possible for each and every one occupying a seat in those hallowed halls. “Today’s occupants are inhabiting space occupied by stalwarts such as Critchlow, Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Boysie Ramkarran, Claude Merriman, Winslow Carrington, Janet Jagan and, Winifred Gaskin….These persons are renowned for their actions in advancing the welfare of the working class. Though none expects mimic men and women, it is reasonable to expect the struggles, goals, ideals and representation of predecessors will be noted and their strengths built on,” Lewis had said.

Lewis said the trade union movement believes that as citizens-inheritors of Guyana’s bounty and sacrifices of our forebears, “we must not merely record history, recant history or be passive [sic] observant, we must learn from the past and actively shape and mould the present and future for the better.” He said labour’s demand for equal prominence and treatment in the structure of governance is well deserving. “We are not asking for a new ministry, we are asking for equal treatment. Labour can be accommodated in the Ministry of Social Protection where the ministry can be renamed, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. Or, l can be equally accommodated in any other ministry as government so chooses. There exists precedence in our society.”