‘Seek co-operation not competition’
Former President, Donald Ramotar
Former President, Donald Ramotar

–greater alliances could enhance capacity of local trade unions, Former President Ramotar says

GUYANA’S rapid advancement and economic diversification has warranted a paradigm shift among local trade unions, according to former President, Donald Ramotar.
The former Guyana Head of State, in his address at the recently held Clerical and Commercial Workers Union’s (CCWU’s) fifth triennial delegates’ conference, said that labour unions could advance through partnerships and strong alliances.

“Unions must seek alliances at home, even merging to increase your strength and we must take the lead in uniting trade unions in the Caribbean,” Ramotar related.
He added that Guyana has seen an influx of foreign investors, so trade unions must seek collaborations to ensure that workers’ rights are protected and that they are guarded against exploitation.

“We have, in this country, thousands of workers that are unorganised. Those workers are exploited and have hardly any representation,” he said, adding: “This is an area where the movement as a whole should concentrate on. All our unions should seriously interrogate this matter; seek co-operation and not competition to bring the unorganised into your ranks.”

CCWU President, Sherwood Clarke

According to Ramotar, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) has taken the lead in seeking alliance with the Oil Field Workers’ Union of Trinidad and Tobago; this is a move he is supportive of.
“The most important and immediate issue is the unity of our trade union movement. Comrades and friends, speaking frankly, the private sector are much more united than labour and they are wielding great influence in our society,” Ramotar said.

He went on to state: “On the other hand, labour has grown weaker. The reason for this must be sought and dealt with.”
With this being the case, Ramotar said mere calls for unity are not enough, as unions must create an enabling environment to chart a course for solutions.

Meanwhile, CCWU’s President, Sherwood Clarke, said that much more is needed to be done in addressing the rights of workers.
“There is enormous scope for us to increase our prestige and authority in our country. But our ability to seize this opportunity depends upon how well we can organise ourselves to give responsible leadership, represent properly the views of workers and conceptualise and implement programmes that are practical and continuing benefit to our members,” Clarke said.

He added that unions have the potential as national institutions with creative power to influence, constructively, the direction and quality of national development.
However, the potential, Clarke said, would remain underdeveloped if those bodies continue to fail to organise themselves for effective action.

“Successful unions require more than members’ money. It requires their time, their energies, and their talents,” he related.
He added that members cannot expect their unions to do their best for them or to achieve a strong position of influence within society unless they take an active and enthusiastic interest in the work of the union at all levels.

“The CCWU is not just about the people working at the Clerico House, not the building at Quamina Street, either; it’s the combined members and executive that are called the union,” Clarke said.
He encouraged union members to “wake up” and discharge their duties to the union the same way they would expect the union to discharge its duties to them.

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