…hailed a true workers’ champion

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, died on Wednesday, in Cuba, where he was undergoing treatment for a prolonged period of illness.

Chand served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) since 1992. In the last Parliament, he was that party’s representative for the Essequibo Islands- West Demerara region. GAWU noted in a release that he was most committed to his work and tasks and for that he enjoyed the respect of the workers. It was his dedication that saw him rising to become the Union’s General Secretary and later it’s President, the union said.

“He was, in our view, an outstanding trade unionist and very much committed to the upliftment and advancement of the working-class in our country and even beyond,” the body said. Outside of GAWU, he served as the Vice President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and a member of the Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

“Cde Komal was also deeply admired by those who worked along and together. It was from this vantage point that many of us got an opportunity to see up close how deeply he cared for the workers and more so the working-people and their families. He always embraced and espoused policies and initiatives aimed at improving the standard-of-living and well-being of the ordinary people. He also recognized that unity was an essential pre-requisite in order for the workers to win out their principled and justifiable demands. He was always supportive of measures to bring about unity as he brought to bear his own ideas and experiences,” GAWU said.

Meanwhile, several officials of the PPP/C have paid tribute to Chand following his passing. “Guyana has lost a champion fighter for freedom, democracy and workers’ rights. Cde Komal Chand dedicated his entire life to the service of humanity. He led the struggle in securing workers’ rights, welfare and freedom. His political life was one of dedication and commitment to democracy, social and economic justice which he fought for and defended until today when he closed his final innings in the journey of life,” PPP/C presidential candidate Irfaan Ali said. He also extended condolences to Chand’s family.

Another PPP/C stalwart, Clement Rohee noted that the party has lost a leader who helped to make the party what it is today. Former Minister of Agriculture under the PPP/C, Robert Persaud, said the sugar industry has lost a true fighter. He said Chand “has been synonymous with the struggles of our sugar workers for respect and a decent pay for several decades.”

He noted that Chand’s focus on getting the best package and conditions for those who toil in the fields and factories cannot be questioned. He said while as Minister of Agriculture, they at times held different positions on how to save sugar, however he said Chand’s commitment to the industry’s workers was unquestionable.

Also, he noted that the GAWU leader’s role in shaping the modern politics of Guyana cannot be ignored as a Central and Executive Committee member of the PPP/C and a veteran MP. He said Chand’s voice for Labour was at times the loudest and most consistent.

Chand led GAWU in several battles with the administration of the day and the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco) over the rights of sugar workers.

A fighter
For their part the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) extends sincerest sympathies to the wife, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters and other relatives and friends of Chand. At the time of his passing, he served as the Federation’s First Vice President. The umbrella trade union said Komal’s association with FITUG goes back many years and he was among those that played a critical role in the organisation’s establishment in 1988. Following FITUG’s resuscitation, he continued to serve the organization dedicatedly. He was among the key drivers in the advancement of our organisation.

During his lifetime, he was a tireless champion of the workers. He was never afraid to speak his mind as he stood up in defence of the members of the GAWU and workers generally. He was also a staunch advocate for workers’ unity as he felt division was most harmful to their plight and call. Indeed, the FITUG is poorer with his loss but we are proud that we had the opportunity; we daresay privilege, to associate with him. The Federation is stronger for that and certainly will go on to higher heights because of the foundation laid by stalwarts like Komal Chand.

Indefatigable fighter
The Alliance For Change hailed Chand as an indefatigable fighter which belied his gentleness as a person and character as a good man. “Mr. Chand was a veteran Trade Unionist who entered the National Assembly on December 17, 1992 on the list of candidates for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic with the objective of representing the rights and interests of workers in the sugar industry and wider farming community. He acquitted himself capably,” the AFC said. According to the AFC throughout his career he was not known to deviate from his principles or to engage in personal invectives and attacks on others – even when his views differed vastly from theirs. “The Alliance For Change regrets that his position on sugar did not appreciate the national need for right-sizing of an industry in decline but we remember Mr. Chand as a man of principle, courage and dignity who has left an indelible mark on the trade union movement and has touched the lives of thousands. We express our profound sympathy to his grieving family and pray that comfort and solace will be found in the marvellous works of his long career as a workers’ representative,” the party noted.

Integral to sugar
The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) in a statement expressing condolences to Chand’s family and GAWU said he has been an integral part of the corporation and the sugar industry for over forty years. “Having joined GAWU in 1975, he no doubt found his passion; advocating for workers’ rights, his name became synonymous with the rights of sugar workers. His commitment, dedication and overall resolve, was inspiring to those persons, at various levels in the Corporation who would have come into contact with him.”
The sugar corporation said when GuySuCo was established in May, 1976, Cde. Chand, through the participation of GAWU, was a key figure in shaping the industrial relations spectrum, from the conceptualisation to implementation of more worker-focused systems and general work environment in the Corporation. “Our Industrial Relations department remembers Cde. Chand as being ‘a well-informed, experienced and skilled negotiator, who was loved by the workers; always having his finger on the pulse of the working class. He always found a way to navigate out of what most might have concluded, the most difficult situations or scenarios,” GuySuCo said.

Other fond memories of Cde. Chand from workers were; ‘he never gave up on an issue until he would have exhausted all avenues in having it addressed’. ‘He had a good memory of matters’. ‘He made a day look like it had forty hours instead of twenty four hours with the amount of things he did within a day’. ‘You could have depended on him to read any document you gave to him and provide his analysis’. ‘If you needed assistance with anything, he never turned you away; even if he did not have the answer, he would find someone who could have given you an answer’.

“The Chairman, Board of Directors, Management and staff of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc., stand with Cde. Chand’s family and GAWU at this time, as they reflect on the life of their beloved husband, father, leader and colleague,” the corporation said.

Party stalwart
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in mourning the passing of its stalwart and one of the nation’s truest champions of workers, said “Chand served our party in various capacities, inclusive of being a long-standing member of the Central and Executive Committees. He also represented the PPP and the PPP/C in Parliament for over 20 years. But his most notable contribution was as the head of GAWU, the country’s largest trade union”. The PPP said Chand’s contributions to protecting the rights of sugar workers, fisherfolk, and forestry sectors employees, among others are well recognised across the country and will be remembered by generations to come. “Also, his efforts to unify the Labour movement are unparalleled and this led to the formation of FITUG,” the PPP said.