GTUC divided again
Today the Guyana Trades Union Congress meets in its annual conference to consider the road ahead for the movement and how it should be positioned to best represent the interests of its members in the looming era of globalisation and market-driven development. One of the first challenges which it has to confront is that of the unity of the movement. Absent from this week's discussions are two of the best organised unions--the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers' Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE). The two unions have suspended their association with the umbrella body claiming that its procedures are undemocratic and that, among other things, some members of its executive are pursuing a political agenda. This led to the 55-day strike by public servants earlier this year not being supported by either of these unions. Nor did they throw their weight behind the GTUC when it increased its militancy to ensure that in the joint venture agreement between the Government and CDC/ESBI to privatise the power company workers generally were not put at a disadvantage. Both unions operate in the sugar industry and one of them--GAWU--is identified with the ruling PPP/Civic. Its most prominent leader is a PPP/Civic member of parliament and a member of several statutory boards at least one of which he chairs. In the case of the other union--NAACIE--its long-time general secretary and later adviser is now the government's consultant on industrial relations. What is depressing about all this is that we have been through this before. In fact it was claims similar to those being raised by GAWU and NAACIE that led to the six-union walkout and the creation of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). FITUG was not the answer then and it is not the answer now as its leaders at the time rightly apprehended when they agreed to return to the GTUC fold under conditions which both sides have now shown a marked reluctance to implement given the changed political circumstances of Guyana since 1992. Thus the no-poaching agreement is thrown out the window if such poaching fits in with a political agenda. The need for rule changes with regard to delegate representation at the annual conferences is resisted by some unions so that they can have a seat at the table. Union mergers which the former GTUC president, the late Gordon Todd, among others, advocated, are being bitterly resisted by union leaders who prefer to be captains of canoes than ordinary seamen on an ocean-going liner. An inescapable fact that confronts the unions is that the fragmentation is perceived as racial and political--dangerous classifications in today's charged political atmosphere. It will take all the unions' leadership combined skill and diplomacy, now in short supply with the departure of one of the most experienced unionists in the Caribbean, Joseph Pollydore, to deal with the situation. A likely casualty of this fragmentation, for the time being, may be the attempt by some unions to ensure that the movement is recaptured from what they described as the political clutches of the PPP/Civic and the PNC. The trade union movement may at this time consider it necessary to pursue some policies and programmes that can put it at odds with a government which must of necessity take hard political decisions to ensure that the economy is competitive. Only a trade union leadership dedicated to pursuing the interest of the workers can credibly refute arguments by the government that the motives are other than industrial. It is also unfortunate in that the unions in this era should be as concerned about increasing productivity as they are with increasing the pay and conditions of their members. This must mean an increasing partnership with management to ensure that the enterprises where their members are employed are internationally competitive. Beyond that the GTUC has some other problems which it must attend to if it is to stop the unions being marginalised. It needs to increase its appeal to the younger members of the work force. Today, unions have far fewer members than a decade ago and the numbers are decreasing annually. The GTUC also needs to be better organised and to improve the services it can offer to its member unions. The movement, despite its proud history, no longer boasts a credible research capability. Its finances too are not as healthy as they should be but this could be a reflection of the financial status of its members. A healthy sign has been the absence recently of any scandals, or at least none which have reached the public's attention. One challenge it must tackle is that of appointing a new general secretary to succeed Mr Pollydore. Lincoln Lewis has been acting in this position and the unions must now decide if he has shown all or most of the attributes required to steer the movement through the difficult times ahead. As to the presidency, none of the three candidates rumoured to be contesting the post is widely known outside union circles. But the quality which delegates should insist on is the ability to pursue the workers' interest with a minimum of confrontation with the government. Also, he should be strong enough to at least initiate the changes which would move the movement in the direction of the twenty-first century. Anything less and the movement may end up an anachronism.
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