Dear Editor,
I would like to thank Bro Frank Fyffe for his sentiments expressed in his letter of advocacy on my behalf: ‘Desmond Moffatt’s contribution should be acknowledged’ (SN, April 29) and at the same time correct some inaccuracies contained therein.
The Verbeke incident
I got employed at Demba in October 1963 in the Alumina Plant (machine shop). Between then and 1965 the then British Guiana Mine Workers Union, under the leadership of the late Mr Winston Verbeke, had engaged the company in negotiating a new Collective Labour Agreement. At some point in the talks – which had been going on for some time – word began to circulate that the union had agreed to waive the payment of retroactivity for a higher basic wage rate. This angered the workers; they accused the union of “selling out.” A meeting was called by the union in order to explain the situation. The members gathered at the then Mackenzie Park, now Cuffy Square. I stood there and witnessed one after another of the negotiating team blame Mr Verbeke for the compromise.
When it was Mr Verbeke’s turn to speak, a man with a piece of rope, fashioned as a noose, climbed onto the branch of the big tree and dangled the rope over where Mr Verbeke was standing. Mr Verbeke then reached up, took the rope and held it over his head. There was jeering and laughing at this gesture. Then some of the workers began to move the makeshift stage, at which time the police moved in and took Mr Verbeke away.
Telephone call to Burnham
I spoke to Mr Burnham, then Prime Minister by phone from the union hall during the early stages of the retro strike in 1971. He did not visit the union hall.
However, Mr Burnham visited the Alumina Plant after the resumption of work. He met workers in the lunch/locker room at the SA building. Bro Ivelaw ‘Reds’ Benjamin asked him about slamming the phone down. At the time myself and other workers were on remand at the Georgetown Prison.
Overtime work
The Organization of the Working People (OWP) of which I was a member, had established rules of conduct and discipline for its membership, some of which it had hoped, would be adopted by the community in time. In many areas of the company’s operations, overtime work was almost standard practice.
The OWP, having reviewed the situation, where on the one hand an abundance of work in excess of 40 hours per week was available, and on the other scores of young job-seekers were facing a bleak future, decided to do something. In a show of solidarity and the thinking that the suitable job-seekers could be offered work at least on a casual basis, the OWP proposed that its members refuse work in excess of normal hours.
I was one who initially refused work beyond eight hours a day. This very much displeased my immediate supervisor.
He warned that should I continue to refuse overtime work, he would have no other choice than to make an issue of the matter. So in order to avoid unnecessary confrontation, I worked overtime but did not include the hours when writing my time sheet.
The supervisor was far from pleased, and for some time would insert on my time sheet, the hours I had worked overtime.
Editor, I wish to also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my wife for her support and help without which this letter may not have been written.
Additionally in my 38 years of employment at the bauxite company, my sole desire was to work to the satisfaction of my employers and to contribute to the improvement of workers’ welfare and the community at large. I feel it is my duty, and see no need to be singled out for honours or rewards.
However, speaking on behalf of Bro Fyffe and other colleagues, I would indeed be greatly honoured should the regional administration and other agencies, demonstrate a similar commitment towards the growth and development of the Linden community.
My only regret is that we did not make nationalization of the bauxite industry a success.
Perhaps some day an objective analysis will be done to show where we went wrong.
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Moffett
