Dear Editor,
As President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) among other things mine is the responsibility to protect and defend the integrity of this federation and its attendant arms, which are the Critchlow Labour College, the Women’s Advisory Committee, and the Pollydore Institute. The GTUC has publicly stated its non-acceptance of the restoration of the state’s grant to the Critchlow Labour College on the condition that the college board should have six government members (four from FITUG, with the existing two from the Ministries of Labour and Education). The GTUC has four. This is a clear act by the PPP to control an institution it does not own. A person would not allow another to come into his house and control him unless he is prepared to sell himself into servitude. This is not what the GTUC desires.
The National Assembly is the nation’s highest decision-making forum. It is a serious forum where debates should be driven by substance and credibility. Where this does not happen the people have a responsibility to call on their elected representatives to elevate the bar to a level of seriousness and commitment. It is based on this understanding and desire for our National Assembly I propose two things to Drs Rupert Roopnaraine and Nanda Gopaul who made allegations about accountability at the college and paper unions during their contribution to the debates on the grant.
Dr Roopnaraine, past principal of the college, in his contribution, according to a media report, said that accountability at the college was a grave problem. Dr Gopaul is Minister of Labour and was once the elected treasurer of the GTUC; he too according to a media report had informed the National Assembly that the college had an accountability problem. Drs Roopnaraine and Gopaul are called on to provide the evidence to the public to substantiate their claims. We must strive to return honour to this once honourable National Assembly. The state’s grant to the college was audited by the Auditor General every quarter. How the college spent this money is highlighted in the Auditor General’s reports which are available for public consumption. The college was never cited for mismanagement or misappropriation. Therefore it is disappointing that Drs Roopnaraine and Gopaul have sunk to this level in their debate contributions.
On the members of parliament’s comments that the fate of the college is linked to disunity in the trade union movement, they are asked to look within themselves. The PNC was birthed out of the PPP. The AFC was birthed out of the WPA, PNC and PPP. Perhaps this august body should go back to the PPP whence they originated and form a single national party, since this seems to be their understanding of unity. These same members who are calling for “unity” within the trade union movement have themselves come from fractured bodies, but now zealously guard their right to independent existence and self-determination but still want to impose their illusion on others.
Editor, we have a major problem in this society that is turning away young people from politics. They hate the dishonesty, idle talk, inaction and manufactured divisions that come from the politicians. The young are finding it hard to reconcile looking up to their seniors when their seniors are unconcerned about what they say and do and how this can have a negative impact on the respect they attract. It demotivates the young from pursuing the highest form of public service. The seniors are failing to set a good example for the young to emulate.
Dr Gopaul said the GTUC has paper unions. He is called upon to make public the names of these paper unions. Also he is reminded as a former trade unionist that one of the strengths of the trade union movement is that size only matters with regard to delegates and not to decision-making or equality. As Minister of Labour Dr Gopaul would know that the worker in a business of one no less than the worker in a business of tens of thousands is given equal respect and protection under the law. He is reminded of this principle and is called on to address all outstanding labour issues with equal urgency, among them being the re-issuing of letters to start arbitration proceedings into the impasse at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated as he was required to do by the High Court in June 2012.
To understand how disrespectful the precondition for receiving the grant is the following examples can be cited. The opposition has not set a precondition for having representation on the First Lady’s charity which receives state funding. The same goes for the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, another beneficiary. No one has asked GAWU to put representatives from the GTUC on its college board. The college is a private entity and is owned by the GTUC, not the Government of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Leslie Gonsalves
President
GTUC