By Wendella Davidson

ONE hundred years ago, in January 1919, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, OBE, dubbed the father of the trade union movement in Guyana, successfully established the British Guiana Labour Union; yesterday, representatives of the various trade unions in this country laid wreaths in his honour at the bust of a monument sited in the forecourt of Parliament Building.

The wreath-laying ceremony organised by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions in Guyana (FITUG), was held under the theme, “A long journey for social justice — Together we can achieve,” as observances for Labour Week 2019 began.

The highlight of the celebrations will be the traditional Labour Day March and Rally on Wednesday, May 01, which will be observed as a national holiday. Among those present were Minister within the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Keith Scott; President of the GTUC, Coretta McDonald; General-Secretary of the GTUC, Lincoln Lewis; President of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union, Sherwood Clarke; President of FITUG, Carvil Duncan and overseas-based Guyanese John Seales, Vice-President , 1199 Service Employees International Union.

In his feature address, veteran trade unionist and former president of the GTUC, Norris Witter, urged his trade union comrades to “recapture the spirit of solidarity and restore the trade union movement to its rightful place in society and lead.” `

We must constantly interrogate ourselves, we must constantly criticise ourselves, we must constantly do that self-introspection as we question, are we doing as good as we can… the time [is] long past when we should, day in and day out, be condemning and lamenting about our situation. It is critical for us to know and understand our history, because life is about a continuuim.

Noting that there is need to focus on the now, the present , he said it is what will define who we will be tomorrow, whether as individuals or collectives, as an organization, or as a nation state.

Alluding to Minister Scott’s address, in which Scott noted that Guyana may be on the cusp of great economic prosperity , Witter said that while all Guyanese will wish for that, he cautioned against considering those enormous oil discoveries as the panacea for this great prosperity of Guyana.

Touching on the events of December 21, 2018, Witter opined that given those events , Guyana has not been as divided and as polarised as it is now , since independence.

On this note, he likened that as the great divider of people and the labour movement as the great unifier; he added that somewhere along the way, the trade union movement ‘dropped the ball’ and the politicians picked it up and ran with it.” We have to seek to recover our ball,” he contended.

Witter also endorsed an aspect of GTU President Correta Mc Donald’s brief remarks in which she mentioned that ever so often the life, work and struggles of the male gender are highlighted, but that hardly any mention is made of the females, as if they do not exist.

But, like the speakers who preceded him, the veteran trade unionist recalled that in the strike involving the Rusal workers, it will go down in history that it was the women who were at the forefront of that struggle and never flinched.

To this end, he said that in the social, economic and political transformation in societies, women have played more than a passing role, but their efforts are seldom recognised.

Minister Scott in his address noted that the theme for Labour Week reflects the mindset and agenda of the trade union movement. The Ministry of Social Protection, however,in the face of empirical evidence, grapples with the statement, “Whither the Trade Union Movement.’

The latter, he said, is an expansion of the legacy of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, this country’s first national hero.

According to the minister, management relations which are always shaped and conditioned by the prevailing national and international socio, political and economic circumstances, are continually evolving.

As such, it is necessary, that unions recognise that the familiar landscape and platform on which they operated decades ago , have been replaced by a new business ethos which seeks to alienate workers on an ever-increasing scale and in clandestine ways.

As a consequence, the class struggle identified by Marx and Engels 170 years ago, continue to impact the lives of millions of workers universally, while the presence, roles and functions of trade unions diminish.

Scott drew attention to the fact that the Trade Union Act, Chapter 98:03, provides that every trade union, without exception, is required to submit an annual return to the Registrar of Trade Unions, which should allow membership levels to be accurately determined.

“It is unfortunate that the available records show that unions have not been complying with this law, thus making it impossible for the levels of union membership to be accurately determined.

To this end, the minister urged that trade unions address this deficiency if they are to exert social, economic and political influence, in much the same way as Critchlow did in the past. He also urged that as Labour Week is celebrated, the movement must reflect on the gains which the working class has achieved.

Also, they must commit to ensure that not only lip service is paid to the name of Critchlow, but do all in their power to advertise, and epitomise his greatness, so that the working class can have a good life.

Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow was born in Georgetown on the 18 December, 1884. His father, James Nathaniel Critchlow, had emigrated from Barbados and was employed as a wharf foreman by the Booker Group of Companies, while his mother, Julia Elizabeth Critchlow, born Daniels, was originally from the Essequibo Coast.

During the strikes in 1917, he represented the interest of waterfront workers in collective bargaining, and by then was regarded as the leader of all waterfront workers. He became even more popular when he helped to secure increased wages for them.

In the 1917-1918 period, Critchlow led a petition for an eight-hour work day. He was pressured by the Chamber of Commerce to withdraw his name from the petition, after all the other petitioners were forced to do so, but he obstinately refused. He was immediately fired from his job and blacklisted from obtaining employment; he had to depend on assistance from close friends for sustenance.

Critchlow was employed on a full-time basis by the union, and he never stopped being a spokesman for the workers; he publicised their grievances and demanded improved working conditions and better wages for them.

Preceding the laying of wreaths was inspection of the guard-of-honour by GTUC President,Coretta McDonald, who took the salute from female members of the Guyana Police Force on Brickdam , in front of Parliament Building.

Chairman of the proceedings, which was livened up by patriotic songs by the Guyana Police Band, was Leslie Gonsalves of the GTUC; Pancham Singh, also of the GTUC, delivered the vote of thanks.