-urges workers’ unions to adapt to changing environment

PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has said that as the world advances in the digital age, countries and organisations such as workers’ unions must make adjustments to match these developments.

The Head of State was at the time speaking at the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) congress which was recently held under the theme, ‘Advancing workers’ rights, economic progress and social justice.’

He noted that there was much to be considered as the world continues to develop and move at a fast pace toward digitisation with increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) among other things.

To adjust to these new realities, he said that the government is working to create the legislative environment to manage AI and digitisation.

The President emphasised that for any country to remain viable, it must be competitive and sustainable.

He then added that what the unions need to address instantaneously and rapidly is the technologically driven change that is taking place so as to improve their functions in this new environment.

Further to this, President Ali said that action must be taken to build a platform with which this new move will not widen the disparity between countries.

He noted that the union must step up to advance their work in these areas to avoid monumental changes and consequences for the workers in the future.

“The new world is telling us if you don’t adopt the AI and digitisation, you can’t be competitive and you can’t be sustainable,” he said.

He posed several questions to the gathering asking about the consequences that can be faced if the union does not adapt to the changes, and use the changing landscape to the advantage for the development of the workers.

Meanwhile, President Ali stated that the government is taking steps to ensure that the country is not left behind and he used the opportunity to highlight that the government recently signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates which will see some 150,000 children in school being trained in coding.

This, he said, is now being implemented in the school system so the children of workers will not be at a disadvantage in the new world that they are growing up in.

He related that smart classrooms are being built as digitisation is now being taught.

“We are bringing more and more digitisation in the education delivery system so that the children who are coming up will not be placed at a competitive disadvantage. That is how the working class is benefitting, that is how the children of the workers are benefitting from this government,” he said.