By Svetlana Marshall

The 5^th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Guyana Trade Unions Congress opened on Wednesday evening with its leaders renewing their commitment to champion the rights of workers, even as they expressed concern over what they consider to be the Government’s side-lining of trade unions.

In his opening address, GTUC General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis said once there are unscrupulous governments and employers, there will always be room for trade unions. Noting that the work of the union is not limited to wages, salaries and the conditions under which people work, Lewis said GTUC has a social, economic, cultural, environmental and political responsibility to people of Guyana.

“When a worker, wherever he is employed leave and go to the community that he lives, and he is confronted with blackouts, inadequate water supply, bad roads, and when anyone take-in, there is no appropriate pharmaceutical in the clinic or the hospital. Moreso, when a government continues to deny us our constitutional right by not respecting Article 27 of the Constitution, which speaks to free education from nursery to university, then we have a right, we have a right to champion that worker cause, and ask for justice,” the GTUC General Secretary said.

According to the veteran trade unionist, there are key players in the current Administration who are not working in the best interest of Guyanese workers, but rather their own. He said throughout the conference, the GTUC will discuss the challenges confronting the Guyanese workforce including moves by the Government to sideline trade unions in Guyana.

There will be “no retreat, no surrender,” he told those present at the Critchlow Labour College.

GTUC’s President, Corretta McDonald said amid the current challenges, the unions must remain united as they advance the workers’ struggle for social and economic justice.

“The opportunity is for you to choose – whether we are going to stick together or we will continue to allow the government to divide us as the working class,” McDonald said.

She said it was time for the unions across Guyana to put aside their differences, and work together for the betterment of workers in the country.  

“We have got to buckle up; we’ve got to hold hands together; we’ve got to put aside our differences and remember that the rights of every worker in this country is upheld and that each and every boy and girl, man and woman that there be allowed equality, fairness and justice,” McDonald said.

According to McDonald, the trade movement must continue to work even in the face of opposition from the government.

The Delegates Conference will be addressing a host of issues affecting workers and other matters including the border controversy.

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