The GuySuCo, GAWU labour dispute

Dec 21, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am writing in regards to the story (Kaieteur News, December 19), captioned, “Not under my government – proclaim President Jagdeo”.
In reading this article I realise just how idiotic our leadership is when it comes to good governance, social and economically sound policies.
First this same government fired the private contractors who ran GuySuCo and was making it profitable and put in place their cronies. Now they are fighting with their appointees over the power of the unions.
Mr. Editor basic political, governmental and labour studies will explain that a union cannot make demands that a corporation cannot meet.
Unions are entitled to defend their membership and demand a reasonable pay increase for said population. However, to do so at the determent of the agency would benefit no one.
If the GuySuCo is made to pay highly handsome benefits to workers without any noticeable return, you might as well let the Union run the Corporation.
This is what you get when you have a President and many members of his cabinet with a degree in economics from the former Soviet Union.
They do not understand capitalist practice nor open market negotiations. They believe that the state will make anything happen for the workers and if the entity fails so be it.
The Leninist leanings of this administration are so apparent. You see this government has used GAWU when in opposition to fight its battle to obtain the leadership of the nation and today it is now using the said union to hold its major foreign currency earner hostage.
Mr. Editor I am not saying the workers are not entitled to a pay raise, but productivity must be part of that pay raise. Productivity and viability of the industry are things that are paramount in negotiating.
However, because this union is accustom to be militant and holding the Corporation hostage, it continues to do so now with the backing of the President.
Chairman Gopaul is right if the union cannot negotiate in good faith and understand precarious position that the Corporation is in financially, then, it is time for a new collective bargaining agreement and a new union to honestly and not politically represent the workers.
The Federation of Independent Trade Union of Guyana (FITUG) an organ of the government cannot speak with impartiality on this matter. This same umbrella organisation gets its funding from the government so their bias position is expected.
Both President Jagdeo and Minister Persuad would be wiser to first explore fully why Dr. Gopaul was forced to even contemplate such a stance, rather than do what they do best -bad mouth public servants.
Dr. Gopaul was appointed to make this organ (GuySuCo) both profitable and viable and if bending to the unrealistic demands of the union affects both the profitability and viability of the Corporation, I say he is right in wanting to not recognize this union.
It is sad that this government exercise not a single fibre of objectivity and fights tooth and nail exclusively for those it thinks will keep them in office.
FITUG and her daughter organ GAWU are wrong in holding GuySuCo hostage and basically demanding a ransom from this entity.
Workers in Guyana are abused and misrepresented so often that Guyana no longer has Trade Unions, but gaggle unions – a set or organs, all vying to be the government’s best boy.
FITUG’s statement invoking the days of the colonialism is a shameful act. By telling a union their demands are outrageous is not an affront to the working people of Guyana. What is an affront is that FITUG and the government continue to ignore decent pay increases for the Guyana Police Force and other critical public servant organs.
The government as the single largest employer in Guyana continues to under pay its career public servants.
Corruption will continue to be rampant in the Police Force, the Armed Forces, and other public organs, because those who work in these sectors are paid slave wages in today’s economy.
This government wants to take US$20 million to give poor people laptops to log on to the internet when that money would better benefit the nation by paying public sector workers.
This government who is crying how the World Bank has not given it control of US$30 million so it can pay Synergy more than half and then squander the rest.
This government has not floated any viable or productive strategy to improve the lives of the average Guyanese.
While each government minister enjoys a handsome monthly salary and government concessions and tax break the average man is struggling to put food on his table this Christmas.
Another Christmas that will see Guyana Power & Light provide the nation with synchronize fairy lights, inept customer service and huge bills – no wonder people are stealing electricity.
Russia, China, Cuba, and Vietnam have all abandoned the fail Socialist/Communist economic model and are thriving economically. But under the stewardship of the PPP/Civic governance we are still practicing a failed economic model. This nation has gone from being a bread basket for the Caribbean to a being both a basket case and a beggar.
It is insulting how our nation is lead further and further into the abyss. Instead of condemning Dr. Gopaul and re-reading his Communist Manifesto Mr. Jagdeo should bring both sides under government arbitration for the benefit of not just GAWU and GuySuCo, but all of Guyana. My God it is time this man put the country first.
Tyrone L. Talbot

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