Gov’t reaffirms subventions to trade unions as nation honours Enmore Martyrs

Jun 17, 2015 News

As the nation observes the 67th anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo reaffirmed the government’s intention to provide subventions to the country’s trade unions. He made the recommitment at the commemorative ceremony in Enmore, East Coast of Demerara yesterday afternoon.

The Enmore Martyrs’ Monument adorned with commemorative wreaths yesterday.

The Prime Minister said that the new administration will extend these subventions to the Critchlow Labour College.
“The government will give trade unions a subvention to help them carry out their work, to better represent their workers. In order to educate the children of the working people, this government will restore subventions to the Critchlow Labour College,” the Prime Minister stated.
Despite cloudy skies and intermittent rains, a number of government ministers, trade unionists, workers and descendants of the martyrs came out to join in remembering the five sugar workers who were fatally shot by colonialists in 1948.
The monument has special significance to Guyanese as the actions of five workers greatly influenced the country’s Trade Union and Independence Movement.
The workers – Rambarran, Pooran, Lallabagee, Pooran, Harry and Surujballi – are remembered for demanding the better working conditions in the sugar industry and the recognition of trade unions of the workers ‘choice.
The Prime Minister reflected on the important role the martyrs played in his early political career, as he participated in regular marches which commemorated their action. He noted how hard the struggle was for Guyana’s trade unions to finally gain recognition in 1976.
“I was here at Enmore in 1976, standing almost between the two legendary leaders of Guyana; Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham…right here in Enmore, on the eve of the recognition of GAWU (Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union),” Nagamootoo recounted.
He said that the plight of Guyana’s trade union movement was one which stretched as far back as slavery, since the movement sought to recognise the rights of all workers. As an extensive writer on the country’s historic struggles, the Prime Minister said that the martyrs’ actions were a continuation of revolution, like the 1763 Slave Rebellion.
“The Enmore Martyrs decided that free labour was unacceptable and also struggled like those before them for a better system of work,” said the Prime Minister.
To that end, as someone who has roots in Enmore, Nagamootoo expressed his shock at the recent revelation that the sugar industry was “poised on bankruptcy”.
“We were informed that GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) only had one week’s pay remaining for sugar workers. I could not believe that our (former) leaders hid the fact that they had bankrupted the sugar industry,”
Workers in the audience could be heard in agreement with the Prime Minister, as he conveyed his outrage at recent cases of GuySuCo failing to pay for employees’ National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions and credit union benefits.
He noted that President David Granger’s absence at yesterday’s proceedings were due to his administration’s commitment towards meeting an agreement to bailout the sugar industry.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that moving forward; a Commission of Inquiry will be employed in all sugar estates in Guyana, so as to find a solution to the problems that face the sugar industry. “Sugar workers must be part of the solution and not the problem,” said the government official.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, also addressed the audience. He urged citizens to remember the sacrifice of the Enmore Martyrs, and that the struggle of the sugar workers in 1948 was the formation of a just society.
Lewis urged the Government to not only “talk the talk but to also walk the walk”. He added that the opportunity to govern a country is a privilege and not a right.
He stated that the rights the sugar workers fought for were vested in the citizens.
The Enmore Sugar Estate, from whence the martyrs came, has had an impact on every community.
Lewis also explained that the GTUC cannot continue along a path of an unbalanced system and is ready to move forward for a better Guyana
The trade unionist said that the Union will continue to work with the citizens to advocate and optimize the performance of their businesses and the protection of their fundamental rights.