Dear Editor,
Recently, in a number of articles and letters to the print media, especially, detractors, critics and other contributors have been stating, most erroneously, that GAWU’s President, Komal Chand is a member of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guy-suco).
This, of course, is not so. In truth, the union would have welcomed any decision to represent its massive sugar sector membership on such a decision-making Board, but this has been denied notwithstanding the precedent of Trade Union representatives serving on Boards.
Komal Chand, is indeed a PPP/C Member of Parlia-ment, wherein he seeks to promote workers and trade union rights where the people’s welfare is debated at the highest levels.
We will not choose this brief correspondence to repeat the advantages of a trade union leader being a Member of Parliament. This is in the fine tradition of the British Labour Party in the House of Commons and numerous West Indian political leaders being members of their Parliaments also – including Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Jean Persico, among others.
That debate can be put on pause as GAWU reiterates here that its President is not a Member of the Guysuco Board.
Thank you for the opportunity of this clarification.
Yours faithfully,
Seepaul Narine
General Secretary
GAWU