A two-member labour mission is currently in Guyana at the request of local trade union bodies to assist them with their unification efforts.
General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) George De Peana and Chairman of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Sir Roy Trotman have already started consultations with the unions.
A deep schism has kept the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) apart over the last 18 years or so. There was a reunification in the 90s but this later fell apart and FITUG – which had originally broken away for the GTUC – was resuscitated.
Speaking with members of the media yesterday, De Peana said that so far consultations have yielded some amount of willingness on the part of union executives to “keep the door open”.
He said as long as unions remain fragmented, it could lead to a frustrated workforce and so issues affecting them would not be dealt with from a holistic point of view.
“We were, so far, able to garner from them that they are satisfied that if the unions are not united, the people they represent will suffer and we have been encouraged that they understand the urgent need for unification,” he said. He said the mission was part of a continuing exercise where the views and ideas of the unions would be heard and then they would map out a course for further action. The mission is also geared at ensuring that “decent work” is not merely a “phrase that people would read or hear about but one that becomes a fundamental part of Guyana.”
Trotman, who is also General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union, alluded to Guyana’s specific situation and noted that the country has a fairly good record in terms of ratifying the conventions of the ILO.
However he said it was one of the cases, which obtains in other parts of the Caribbean, where there is no central trade union body. He said where central bodies are present there are hardly any problems with unification.
To this end, De Peana said that based on his own research and interactions with the unions, the fragmentation of the unions in Guyana was in some way linked to the political situation.
Nevertheless, he said from all appearances the unions are grateful for the unification initiative and so the team was basically trying to facilitate this and encouraging and persuading them to bring it to reality. The 88th anniversary of the first meeting of Caribbean union leaders, which was held in Guyana late last year, De Peana said, was the beginning of this process of encouraging Guyanese unions to unite.
Some unions have on several occasions claimed to have suffered “disrespect and disregard” at the hands of the government of the day. They have even said that they were suppressed and not given a fair chance to articulate views and have them taken into consideration and are accused of being aligned with political parties.
De Peana acknowledged such scenarios and noted that the absence of “the united voice” could have been the main contributory factor.
He said his main objective is “to bring home the urgency of the need to re-unite.” Agreeing with De Peana’s assertions, Trotman, who is a Barbadian, made reference to the situation in his country.
He said that on more than one occasion Prime Minister Owen Arthur made clear his preference to deal with a unified trade union movement in negotiations, “a powerful partner”.
He said once unions are together and they take a common position then the government of the day would look forward to them honouring that position and would want to do same.
“In that way the government could have an agreement with the unified unions just as [it has] with the unified private sector and
