The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) yesterday said that it “regrets the death and mourns the passing of Brother George De Peana, a Guyanese and international trade unionist” who passed away on Monday.
According to a GTUC release, De Peana began his career as a trade unionist with the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU). He rose to the rank of General Secretary while serving under the presidency of DP Sankar and Gordon Todd and also served as Principal Assistant Secretary of GTUC.
De Peana migrated from Guyana in the 1970s to Jamaica where his first job there was as a Worker Education Officer with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which entailed developing and implementing education programmes for Caribbean labour leaders. He then moved to Trinidad and Tobago where he continued to work with the ILO as a member of its Caribbean team, as a Senior Worker Specialist. During this period, he acted as Director of the Caribbean office.