— President Ali says in Labour Day message; workers today breathing somewhat easier, FITUG contends

DESCRIBING workers as the prime force in transforming the country’s resources into wealth, President Irfaan Ali on Thursday emphasised the vital role they play in national development. President Ali in a message issued in observance of Labour Day, noted that the day is a time for recognition and commendation of the superlative contributions of Guyana’s working men and women. “Our workers are most indispensable to national development. They provide the brain and muscle of our economy. Workers are the prime force in transforming our resources into wealth. They help drive and sustain economic growth and are the protagonists of human development. Without workers, our economy would grind to a halt,” the President stated.

Labour Day is celebrated annually in Guyana on May 1, and would customarily see workers parading through the streets of Georgetown donned in red and white in celebration of workers’ rights and trade unionism. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rally will not be held this year. Nonetheless, the country’s two main umbrella trade union bodies, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), will be commemorating the day using different methods. President Ali stated that though they may use different means, the objectives of unions and the government remain the same. “We have a common interest because we seek a freer, safer, more united and prosperous country, where every worker benefits and where his or her children can be assured of greater opportunities,” he noted.

He added: “My government is committed to ensuring a better life for all workers. Our workers deserve this. Over the next five years and beyond, workers can look forward to greater economic security, enhanced economic prosperity and progressive improvements in citizens’ living standards.”
The President highlighted that the celebration of workers this year is all the more deserving, given the hardships faced over the past year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has been ravishing economies across the globe and has resulted in mass unemployment.
“The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has inflicted grievous harm to the global economy. Workers have borne the brunt of the global downturn resulting from the pandemic. Employment [has] shrunk, as hundreds of millions of workers were hurled onto the breadline. Guyana has not been immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” President Ali said. He noted that it was with the workers in mind that his government has put in place a number of measures to assist persons in withstanding the effects of the pandemic.

RELIEF FOR HOUSEHOLD, WORKERS
Measures the government have put in place over the past few months include relief to households, offering of incentives to frontline workers, and the removal of the heavy burdens of taxation which had been previously imposed on citizens.
The government has also been safeguarding the health of the population through an aggressive vaccination campaign. President Ali noted that the government cannot do it all alone, and needs the help of the workers. “We need the support of employers and workers. We must all band together to ride out this storm, to ensure a quick exit from the pandemic, to restore economic normalcy, and then to move dynamically onward to catapulting our economy to higher heights of performance,” he said in his message. He added: “This is the time when all are called [upon] to make sacrifices and contributions to protect all of our citizens and to ensure a rapid recovery from the effects of the pandemic. This is not the time for squabbling or confrontation.”

The President called on workers, even as they celebrate the day, to be responsible in their celebrations, ensuring that they adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
“We urge that the celebration of this year’s May Day, subdued as it is because of the pandemic, be an occasion for sober reflection, assessment and forward planning, and a time to recommit to the ideals of the unity of the trade union movement. Long live the workers of Guyana! Solidarity forever!” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Independent Trdae Unions of Guyana (FITUG) in a statement recognised the efforts of the Ministry of Labour to uphold workers’ rights.
“This is a positive development and one that we are encouraged by. At the same time, we must express our disappointment that Labour Day 2021 is observed but the national minimum wage remains the same despite an agreement for an improvement. On this Labour Day, we sound our call for the national minimum wage to be increased to $60,000 monthly,” the umbrella trade union organisation said.

BREATHING SOMEWHAT EASIER
This Labour Day, FITUG said also finds the workers breathing somewhat easier as many of the burdens placed on their backs have been lessened.
“We welcome the reversal of anti-worker policies which heightened the cost-of-living over the last few years. We hail too the reinstitution of the several pro-people policies by the new administration. Taken together, they will go a long way to addressing the plight of our workers. We also recognise statements of his Excellency President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to close the rift between the haves and have-nots. Given our anticipated economic expansion, such statements are heartening, and we look forward to further expansion of pro-poor policies in the coming years,” FITUG added. The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said workers must unite, contending that the only hope for the workers in Guyana is genuine working class unity.

“Finally, and most important, workers are urged to protect themselves and be safe at all times,” the GPSU urged. According to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), the workers’ contributions have been the bedrock of the struggles for betterment for all and the development of the nation could not have been realised without them. The party said it continues to work assiduously to ensure workers are a priority and that their lives and conditions continue to be improved. This recognition is evident by the emphasis and value placed on their welfare by the immediate re-establishment of the Ministry of Labour upon taking office in August 2020. “The PPP firmly believes that mechanisms to engage and represent our workers must not be diluted and that they must be able to access related services in a structured and holistic manner as is necessary through a ministry.

While our party is aware that there is more to be done, it continues to advance a multifaceted approach to ensure the advancement of our workers. Very early within this current tenure of government, burdensome taxes and fees were removed and the education cash grant was restored. To date, thousands of jobs have been created and restored to allow our workers a dignified opportunity to provide for their families. Further, access to thousands of scholarships to aid in capacity-building and the implementation of various programmes and policies to improve the social and physical infrastructure, are just part of the PPP/C government’s thrust to better the lives of all of our workers.. The PPP salutes our workers, their resoluteness and innovativeness in advancing our country and encourages them to remain safe during the pandemic. Best wishes to them on their day,” a statement from the party concluded.