Dear Editor,
Ever since the existence of the recent accord between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) became public, some of us were ‘regaled’ while others were jaded by the numerous criticisms which it attracted.
I have had the opportunity to study the accord forensically and would not say that it is one of the better agreements which I have seen in recent times. Yet I would not conclude that it is one of the worst. After all, they say that “half a loaf is better than none”.
However, when I examine the criticisms –especially from members of the trade union fraternity-which it has attracted, I am reminded of several scripture verses in the Holy Bible. One such verse is John 8:7 which reads as follows:-
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself,
and said unto them, He that is without sin among you,
let him cast the first stone at her.”
Those words were spoken by Jesus Christ to the Scribes and Pharisees who wanted him to sanction the penalty of stoning of a woman who had committed the sin of adultery
I do not believe that that verse needs any amplification or explanation, except to say that a similar admonition can be found in the secular realm and it reads like this. “He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones at others”. In other words, any unionist or union who has not done better than the GTU and its negotiating team, may not have any moral standing to criticize the GTU.
The GPSU has boldly condemned the GTU whom it accused of mediocrity, but what has the GPSU to show that it has done better than the Teachers’ union? What gains has it secured for the public servants in the past decade and a half?
In 1999 both unions engaged central government at the level of arbitration and since then the GTU has signed two agreements with the Ministry of Education. Even though those agreements are not pristine in design and content, the union has certainly done much better than the GPSU which is yet to secure a signed accord with central government.
It therefore seems to me that the GPSU should first put its glass house in order before throwing stones at other people’s houses.
What example has the GPSU shown the GTU in terms of negotiation skills, compromise, strategies and techniques? Can the GPSU present the GTU with a properly crafted collective labour agreement as an example of how it is to be done? The GPSU is quoted as saying:
“Labour rights protection is being undermined worldwide
as workers are seeing permanent jobs replaced by contract
labour and insecure employment”.
Be that as it may, what strategies has the GPSU developed and or implemented to obviate the plight of workers?
Indeed, the GPSU must be commended for recognizing the fact that “Trade unionism in Guyana must be defined by strong leadership”, but based on its records and achievements during the past decade and a half, I would humbly invite that union to define the nature of its leadership.
In response to the attacks hurled by the GPSU and its president on the GTU, the president of the GTU –Mr. Colin Bynoe- described Mr. Yarde as a May Day Trade unionist and indirectly accused that union (GPSU) for failing to effectively represent Ms Genevieve Whyte-Nedd.
While Ms. Whyte-Nedd may not be the only public servant who has been abandoned by her trade union when most needed, I would most humbly suggest to Mr. Bynoe to be careful with his adjectives as they relate to the GPSU and its leadership. I would be surprised if he is not warned of possible litigation.
In concluding, I would submit that the GTU could have done much better, but having regard to all the prevailing circumstances, there is no union or unionist out there who is qualified to justifiably throw stones at it.
Apart from John 8:7 referred to earlier, some of the criticisms directed at the GTU call to mind Luke 6:37 which reads as follows:
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye
shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven”,
Let us not condemn the GTU, but instead support it so that it can grow from strength to strength After all, the trade union fraternity is fractured enough resulting in the evolution of FITUG rivalling a weakened GTUC. Interestingly enough, the GPSU is not a member of any of those umbrella bodies, yet it has accused the GTU of compromising unionism at the national level.
Instead of beating up on the GTU, the GPSU should join with other members of the fraternity and genuinely work towards bridging the divide between the TUC and the FITUG, for no useful purpose can be served by doing otherwise.
Yours faithfully,
Francis Carryl
