Trade Unions in Guyana will only win back the considerable support of the workers that they have lost over the years by undertaking a frank and honest assessment of the role of the leadership of the movement that arrives at an understanding that leadership is about “giving service [and] not being in control,” according to General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis.
“Yes it is true that on the whole unions have lost the confidence of workers to the point where there is a high degree of indifference amongst those workers to trades unions. Much of it comes, in my opinion, from the fact that there has been a tendency on the part of some union leaders to see themselves as bureaucrats, union executives, rather than foot soldiers for the workers. Unfortunately, we had also faced a situation in which the administrative structures of unions had either collapsed completely or diminished. What that meant was that we lacked the tools to deliver the services that are required,” the General Secretary was quoted as saying.
And according to Lewis, it has been largely the leadership of trades unions that have been targeted for criticism in recent years “when workers have given vent to their feelings about the deficiencies of the labour movement. Unfortunately, on the whole, the leaders of Trades Unions have come to be seen as living in ivory towers, separated from the workers. That, all too frequently, is the way in which we sometimes see labour leaders.”
The General Secretary opined that the breakdown in communication between union leaders and “the rank and file of the trade union movement” has had to do with the fact that some trade union leaders “may have tried to reinvent themselves, to fashion roles for themselves that were never meant to be. Too often we see some trade unionists serving in capacities that are some distance away from their real missions. Our orientation as trade unionists ought to have taught us that we are nothing more than servants of the workers and that role must be reflected in everything that we do. We may find ourselves sitting in boardrooms with private sector leaders or with politicians but we need to understand that we are only there because that is the will of the workers whom we serve. Any gains that we bring away from those engagements are the workers’ gains, not ours.”
In response to the assertion that the trade union movement may have “lost its way,” Lewis responded that he was not in agreement with it. “I believe that while some of the leaders may have difficulties with direction, the trade union movement in itself has a clear path. As long as employer/employee relations exist there will always be a need for trade unions. Even in instances where the employers are the most benevolent we need to have outside representation in place to serve as a kind of watchdog, in other words, to keep the employer honest.”
When asked to express his views about where the weaknesses of the trade union movement were being most felt, Lewis said that in his opinion, it was the lack of union leadership experience “in the workplaces themselves” that the absence of leadership is probably being most felt. “The reality is that at the level of many of our workplaces, trade unions are led by brave and determined but sometimes untrained and undertrained officials; so that when workplace challenges come they are willing to resist but may not always be equipped to do so. Where I think some unions may have fallen down, is in their lack of focus on training at the Branch level. That is where the training is most needed because that is where the vast majority of the challenges occur.”
The General Secretary was asked whether he felt that the trade union movement can survive in its present state and he responded by telling the Stabroek Business that he was “optimistic” about the future of the movement. “From where I am I still see a tremendous need for the labour movement. The fact of the matter is that the traditional labour/management challenges have not disappeared. In fact, there is evidence that those challenges are growing greater in the current environment. I believe too that the very direction in which the country’s economy appears to be heading suggests that the nature of labour/management relations will require significant labour inputs. Frankly, I worry less about whether the labour movement will be needed than about whether, down the road, the movement is going to be equipped to take on all of the responsibilities that will derive from the socio-economic environment in Guyana,” he added.
