The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has issued a call to action to reassert the country’s independence and common humanity on the occasion of the 43rd Independence Anniversary being observed today.

In a statement yesterday, the GTUC said it would not be accurate for it or anyone to argue that Guyana has not made progress since achieving independence status.
It said that very often periods of retrogression seem to eclipse the periods of progress, but said that specifically with the assumption of office of the current administration there has been a political, economic, social and cultural decline.

The union also used the occasion to accuse the government of “contempt of the Constitution, rule of law, conventions, treaties, agreements, time-honoured principles [and] human rights”. It said there was a haste to control every non-state institution or eliminate those which it cannot control.

It also lashed out as what it called clear intention to derecognize and displace it as the lawful and legitimate centre of the labour movement.

The union said it was targeted because it spoke out against issues such as VAT, extra judicial killings, high cost of living, discrimination and victimization.

It said that under this government the economy continues to flounder with Guyanese forced to leave and seek fortunes in other countries.

However it reminded that the nation’s fore parents successfully challenged the institutions of slavery, indentureship  and colonialism and in like manner Guyanese will overcome “the institution of state dictatorship”.