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GTUC is no longer the voice of workers – PPP
The Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is of the opinion that the good name which the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) enjoyed has been tarnished with the recent outburst by its General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis.
GS of the PPP
Clement Rohee
These sentiments were expressed by PPP’s General Secretary Clement Rohee who at a media conference at Freedom House yesterday expressed that the GTUC is no longer the voice of the workers.
Instead, he said that it “has been hijacked by a selfish few who regrettably have transformed that body into a political forum for grand-standing.”
“In the last few weeks we have witnessed the morphing of the GTUC into a puppet of its General Secretary in pursuit of his political and personal agenda.”
According to Rohee, Mr. Lewis in his recent declarations condemned the National Assembly because of the Motion agreed on to unanimously restore the Government subvention to the GTUC.
“Lincoln Lewis’ swift condemnation and failure to accept the unanimously agreed on Motion by the National Assembly is another indication of the personal agenda, rather than workers interests. One would have thought that the GTUC would have brought its executives together, consult with whatever membership it has and engage its allies (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change) as a minimum before going public with a position” said Rohee.
Rohee said Lewis embarked on a confrontational rather than a negotiated course with the bauxite company RUSAL.
“Lewis boasts that he speaks on behalf of organized labour, and is famous for citing Article 13 of the Constitution of Guyana regarding ‘meaningful consultation” yet according to Rohee “he is not prepared to walk the walk. This is but a far cry from how a trade unionist should be working in the interest of the workers, rather in pursuance of personal egos bigger than life.”
Rohee outlined that as it regards the workers at RUSAL and their issue over the collective agreement with the company that “this matter has been engaging the attention of the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry has sought for a number of years to bring the parties together with a view to arriving at a consensual conclusion.”
The General Secretary also expressed that Lewis “rudely and unreasonably intruded into the privacy of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.”
“The PPP is of the view that former President Jagdeo is not only entitled to his privacy, but also to his benefits as a former President. These benefits include medical expenses. The PPP upholds the rights, benefits and entitlements of all the workers in our country and is vehemently opposed to any attempt to diminish the entitlements of workers” said Rohee.
GS of the GTUC
Lincoln Lewis
According to Rohee, it should be noted that “the threats which Mr. Lewis has been making…is clearly another manifestation of (his) political extremism and anarchist predisposition…a serious danger to the maintenance of the peace and good order in Guyana.”
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