Dear Editor,
The Guyana Teachers’ Union can trace its origins back to 1884 when it was established as the British Guiana Teachers’ Association during British colonial rule (reference: Commonwealth of Nations). The history of unions in our country’s fight for independence is rooted in the similar struggles faced by our citizens today (an increasing cost of living and the weakening buying power of wages) and we must make it our duty to ensure that our unions remain strong.
It is imperative that the current Administration and the Ministry of Education use this moment to be on the correct side of our country’s history. We must sit with our unions and work together for the betterment of our workers. The late founding fathers of our nation were strong supporters of the labour movement and the unions it gave birth to. We must not neglect our history for expediency. We must not weaken our workers in an effort to strengthen them. We must not set an example for foreigners that can lead to our workers being taken advantage of. We must remember that there is strength in our numbers and collectively uplift our workforce.
There have been many cries of unequal pay in the growing oil and gas sector. Encouraging collective bargaining will only be to our economic benefit, and more importantly it will strengthen our workers’ voice at the negotiating tables within the oil and gas sector. We must set an example that clearly shows that our government backs our workers and supports their efforts to collectively bargain and cooperatively find a win-win solution that meets the needs of our country. Our country is nothing without our people. The people of our country make us strong and our development depends on the strength of our workers. Teachers play a fundamental role in the development of our Nation, and our steps towards a stronger future start at this juncture in our nation’s history. We must uplift those who uplift our future generations and we must show all those seeking to invest in our people that our government will always support our workers’ efforts to collectively obtain fair and equitable wages. Our government does not turn a deaf ear to our teachers nor should the oil and gas sector do so to those seeking equitable pay.
Our sugar workers and all workers in our country have a right to be heard. We all have a right to live in dignity. We know what we lose when our unions are weak. We know how much sacrifice was made for our unions to come into existence. It is our patriotic duty to ensure that we keep our unions strong and that we keep the legacy of our founding fathers alive. I invite the Ministry of Education and the current Administration to ponder on our history and the importance of organized labour. I invite our current leaders who have made many personal sacrifices to develop our Nation to also consider the many sacrifices made by our teachers and all of our workers. We must share in the responsibility to make each other’s journey in the life a bit easier. It is time to show the world that Guyana will always stand with its workers and allow their collective voices to be heard and respected.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana