Message for labour

Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
May 30, 1999


AS THEY continue their traditional role of bargaining and agitating for better wages and conditions for their members, trade union leaders here cannot afford to ignore the bigger picture that is looming large ahead of them.

In an address last week to the local business fraternity, United States Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. James Mack, looked at the challenges facing this country in the new global economy.

"Together, we now have the opportunity to harness the world's productive resources in concert to build a prosperous future for all the world's peoples.

"But to fully take part in and win in this new global economy, Guyana has a lot of catching up to do", he said.

Mr. Mack argued that Guyana, like many countries, "still remains burdened with an array of handicapping legacies of the post-colonial and Cold War periods."

"I think the time has come for Guyana to clear the deck of this historical debris and reinvent itself to succeed in the unified economy of our new global village", he said.

Mr. Mack's case is for embracing the free market forces which are taking hold around the world.

In this context, President Janet Jagan, in her Independence anniversary message last week, acknowledged the reality.

"The days of a large state sector providing jobs for more and more people are over", she said.

"We are locked in a free market society where the private sector is the engine of growth. We now look towards private investment to do many of the things that government once did", President Jagan said in her broadcast, warning there was little choice.

"We can engage in an endless debate as to the relative goodness of such an economic system but prevailing conditions do not present us with viable alternatives", the President pointed out.

These are the daunting realities that labour leaders cannot shrug aside and they should be seeking links with the government and the private sector to preserve employment opportunities for those in their ranks.

Persistent labour troubles in a country do not make it attractive to foreign investors and industrial peace is as vital for the future as is political stability and the government putting in the right conditions to attract investment.

The challenges are many and labour leaders, like other key players, have to face the stark realities if they are to faithfully serve their constituents.

The messages are timely and labour must pay heed.


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Guyana: Land of Six Peoples