The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has expressed outraged at the brazen attempt by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government to criminalise teachers who heeded the call of their union to take industrial action in pursuit of their struggle for a living wage and to get government to honour its responsibility to engage workers’ representatives in collective bargaining.
Collective bargaining is a right protected in the Constitution of Guyana, Article 147.
In a statement the WPA reiterated the right to strike is both a sacred right and a central pillar of any democratic society.
Backgrounding the role of trade unions in Caribbean society, WPA noted the struggle to transform Guyana and the Caribbean from colonial rule to Independence was led primarily by workers organised in their unions. “In that regard our political history and culture are deeply rooted in trade unionism.”
WPA, therefore, condemns the heavy handedness of the government towards striking teachers as the worst form of neo-colonialism which ultimately can only lead to a weakening the Guyana Teachers Union and stripping the workers of their legal and legitimate right to representation.
WPA said it has no hesitation in standing with the teachers in their exercise of their god given and democratic right to take collective action in pursuit of their entitlement to a living wage.
The teachers’ case is just—they work for starvation wages in an economy of relative plenty, the party asserted “No decent government which is concerned with the welfare of its citizens can justify the kind of wages teachers receive.”
Offering teachers increases in allowances rather than a raise of their wages is tantamount to willful pauperisation the party charged. “In normal times teachers’ wages are inadequate, but that inadequacy is exaggerated by the high cost of living.”
Guyana is said to be among the world’s fastest growing economies. This year the Budget is $1.146 trillion. The country is also projected to earn almost US$ 2 Billion in oil revenue.
WPA calls on the government to pay the teachers a just, living wage—you can afford it. It is the height of contradiction the party pointed out that a government can boast of exceedingly high economic growth and unveiled a trillion dollar budget but refuses to pay public servants a decent and livable wage.
WPA charged the government with undisguised discrimination against a category of workers who do not belong to its political constituency. The party noted while government exhibits the traits of an anti-worker regime, it is particularly harsh on workers who do not belong to its ethno-political base.
The government’s charge that the teachers’ strike is political is laughable the WPA said, pointing out that all strikes are political. “But to accuse the GTU of partisan action because one of its officials is a Member of Parliament is the height of hypocrisy since the top official of another union is a government MP.”
GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald is an Opposition MP Seepaul Narine President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is a Government MP.
In this regard WPA is condemning the personal attacks on McDonald and calling on all right-thinking Guyanese to rally in defense and protection of her. These actions the WPA warned are cowardly attacks consistent with the PPP government’s attitude to women.
“Further, the charge that the strike is unlawful represents a dangerous development. The government has now arrogated unto itself the roles of accuser, prosecutor, judge and jury. This is nothing short of naked autocracy.”
Government has since announced its intent to withhold wages/salaries of striking workers and discontinue deducting union dues. Slamming the decisions WPA said these are well known acts of dictatorships, shameful and indicative Guyana has returned to the bowels of authoritarian rule.
It is the government, the WPA charged, that is acting unlawfully by its refusal to engage in collective bargaining which is a crime of great proportion. Likewise, the WPA charged, is government open threatening of defenseless workers with the might of the state which is a high crime.
WPA, therefore, urges all Guyanese to rally around the teachers. “We call on the government to heed the union’s call for arbitration as a first act of good faith. We further urge the government to cease and desist from war propaganda against the teachers.”
Guyana deserves better, the party said and affirmed its commitment to the struggle for all Guyanese to equitably benefit from the Oil and Gas windfall that Guyana now enjoys.
