Do I dare ask? How relevant is trade unionism in Guyana today? (I’ve just done so.)
Unnecessary question you say? Because if Guyana is supposed to be a modern democracy one element of that status is the right of workers to be represented by trade unions of their considered choice. But then, under Forbes Burnham then, much later, Bharrat Jagdeo, local trade unions were co-opted, nullified, made sycophants, or made irrelevant as Collective Bargaining with the state, especially, disappeared.
Now fast forward to Minister Winston Jordan’s Budget 2015 presentation wherein he allocated $11 million “in an effort to strengthen the capacity of local trade unions to better represent the right of workers”. Though he went on to single out training for his government’s “public servants”, to me this was a singularly significant gesture to foster government-labour movement co-operative relations, whilst the workers representatives remain free to champion employees’ rights and welfare.
Score high points for the Granger administration on this one. (Imagine when Mr. Yarde’s own GPSU -within the context of the findings of the current Inquiry and the standard just set by the Ministers/MP’s salary increases – sits down to negotiate, what great, deserving benefits will be awarded to thousands of workers!)
So why did I choose these related issues today? It’s because of the FITUG – TUC exchanges on those same budgetary allocations and about which labour grouping is “most representative”. Now I have long come to my own conclusion about the latter, whatever the political implications that spawned the “majority FITUG”. But first some context.
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A glorious history…
Ashton Chase’s seminal work on the history of Guyanese Trade Unionism should be compulsory reading for all students, trade unionists, members of the National Assembly. But there are other publications on the topic by people like Lutchman, Gopaul, Harry et al.
From the early 1900’s there were stalwart attempts to organize representation for numerous categories of the working–class. Long before it became a Constitutional right to do so here.
Names such as Henry Humphrey, R.T. Frank, James Mc Donald, H.T. Waldron and a solicitor, J. Eleazar, fought to represent from local seamen to Berbician labourers. Colonial merchant employers and an anti-working-class government quickly put paid to those early efforts. But in Georgetown nothing could prevent (one of my National Heroes, faults and all) Hubert N. Critchlow from emerging as one of the Caribbean Region’s foremost worker–representatives who was to carry his workers’ crusades throughout the West Indies, to Europe, even Russia.
Later, trade unionists and their unions – in both the West Indies and British Guiana/Guyana – were to influence politics and power significantly. Politicians became Unionists and Unionists became Politicians – even political leaders and statesmen when all aspirants realized the significance – if not power – of the working–class.
In Guyana, during the Burnham and Bharrat regimes militant trade unionism took a nose–dive. The Private Sector followed the state in largely ignoring the status of unions and many compromised union leaders. Which for some reason makes me now remember one “leader” and his most historical trade union.
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Calling Carvil!
Critchlow’s Labour Union was our first to be registered. Presidents Burnham and Hoyte, though their PNC party treated Critchlow shabbily in his last days, both were nominal heads of that union. Then Carvil Duncan outmaneuvered PNC opposition leader R.H.O Corbin to wrest control of that glorious GLU for himself.
He – Duncan – swiftly became pro–government and is on public record with his unstinting support for Bharrat and Donald, now both politically departed from the Corridors of governmental power. So where is Carvil these days?
I’m told that the GLU leader is the holder of a constitutional position as chairman of a commission and a member of two more, as well as on other Boards. But since a little “mix-up” at one – the GPL – Carvil has been somewhat muted. My-oh-my. Shades of the past?
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America’s NYPD, our diaspora
Forgetting that I am not as young and fit as I was, say, fifteen years ago, I followed the Holder, NYPD, GPF funeral procession, “foot-for-foot” all the way and back, last Saturday. My poor hips and feet!
But powerful symbolism and many messages assailed my mind as I trudged alongside the NYPD and GPF contingents that morning.
There was that internationally–known Police Service represented on Georgetown’s streets. Why? Because a young Guyanese deceased was one of them back in New York, NY. Like thousands of his fellow nationals are accommodated and are “accommodating” themselves in the USA. They are a most significant component of the Guyanese diaspora scattered around the planet.
So that American Guyanese funeral was indeed symbolic of a kind of global community one letter writer just wrote about. Which reminds me that in 2012 a lame Donald Ramotar made a lame attempt to organize and mobilise Guyanese resources in the U.S.A. Frankly Speaking, that was not serious.
Now, as long back as 2011 President Granger was speaking of something akin to a “Department of the Diaspora “-and Re-migration. How is that coming along? I’m bound to return to this issue. For now I recommend Dr. Lear Matthews as Consultant on the Guyanese Diaspora – “Potential and Realities Realised”.
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Ponder – again!
1) Appoint our new Ambassadors/High Commissioners now!
2) Besides the atrocity at High and Princes streets, what can be done about the First Federation building on Croal Street and the old Co-op Bank on Lombard Street? Use the latter soon!
Til next week.
(allanafenty@yahoo.com)
