The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has issued a stinging rebuke of Government’s efforts to divide the teachers and tarnish its justified struggle by playing the race card.
In a statement, the country larger federated body said it is deeply concerned the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government is seeking to reduce the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) legitimate grievances to accusation that the Union’s leadership is racist.
The Congress reported East Indian Guyanese reached out to its leadership to inform them they have been solicited by government representatives to denounce GTU General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald, for attacking the East Indian community. GTUC said these accusations are downright wicked, deceptive and in itself racist, and slammed the government for projecting.
“The Government is accusing Ms. McDonald of doing exactly what they want to do.”
Asserting the PPP has put its public relations machinery into high gear, the Congress took aim at government efforts “to cloud the issue that has caused teachers to take industrial action.
“They are ignoring telling the public the industrial action is a result of their failure to engage the GTU on the Multi-Year Proposal for Wages/Salaries and Working Conditions submitted since August 2020.”
According to the Congress, the PPP is most uncomfortable seeing unity of the races, that is their biggest fear, and they will stoop to any level to create disunity, even when there is common interest.
The federated body reminded “the issue of the teachers is not about race or party politics, it is about bread-and-butter issues that transcend race and politics. “At the end of the day, they all face the same market prices.”
The PPP has no moral authority to accuse others of being racist when they have historically and continuously used the race card to full political advantage, the GTUC asserted.
“They are using race as a factor in effort to divide the trade union movement. They seek division in the trade union movement because they fear the power of a united people rising up against them. Labour more than any organisation has that potential power of uniting the people.”
It is a matter of fact the PPP has on every occasion sought to resolve differences in industrial grievances where the majority of workers are East Indians, the GTUC pointed.
It is a matter of public record where the majority of workers are Africans the Government ignores their grievances. When these workers pursue legitimate industrial actions to have their grievances addressed, the PPP accuses union leaders of being racist, politically driven or engaging in illegal activities.
GTUC said the nation is well aware the PPP government is prepared to facilitate discussions between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Clerical Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), both of which are being led by East Indians.
Correspondingly, the GTU, Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Guyana Bauxite and General Workers (GB&GWU), whose leadership is primarily Africans, continue to be ignored.
Presently GPSU has matters before the court because of government’s decision not to engage in collective bargaining with the union.
GTUC has called on the government to let good sense prevail and stop playing the race card. The body is also calling on Government to uphold the Constitution and Labour Laws of Guyana by meeting the union across the table.
The government is reminded Article 147 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana protects the right to strike and Section 23(1) of the Trade Union Recognition commits the employer, in this instance the Government, to negotiate with the Union in good faith. These are legal obligations the government continues to flout.
