GTUC incumbent President on mission to improve CLC’s accountability

Nov 20, 2016 News

Although she only recently assumed the mantle of President of the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC), Coretta McDonald, already has her eyes trained on ensuring that transparency and accountability prevails. And she

GTUC incumbent President, Coretta McDonald.

anticipates that these qualities will encompass the operation of both the GTUC and the Critchlow Labour College (CLC) which falls under its purview.
The CLC was established in 1967 as the educational arm of the trade union movement. It was designed to provide pre-university courses in Industrial Relations, business, sociology and a CXC programme for early school-leavers who have a desire to obtain those qualifications.
The college has also been able to offer a law programme.
Ms. McDonald is already caressing ambitious ideas that could help to further improve the college under her tenure.
CLC has long been plagued with financial issues which were slated to be corrected with an announcement by President David Granger last year, during the 11th Parliament, to restore a government subvention. The College was in financial turmoil after its subvention was stopped by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration in 2004.
But McDonald, at a recent press conference, considered that government has for a number of years been asking for audited statements for the operation of CLC. She, however, is prepared to do whatever is possible to ensure that the financial records are put in place as far as possible.
McDonald, moreover, emphasised that the GTUC under her leadership will be endeavouring to ensure that all finances it receives from Government is well accounted for.
“We will put in place all of the procedures so that at the end of the year there will be no difficulty, coming from the GTUC, in terms of presenting to Government audited statements,” the President asserted.
“We are going to sit as an executive body to look at that issue and then we will decide from there how much of our audited statements will be given to the government,” said McDonald as she reminisced on a period outlined that there was a period when the college was eligible for no subvention.
At that time McDonald asserted she was not an executive of the GTUC.
But she is, however, aware that there was a proposal that was given to the Ministry of Education to, rather than just hand over finances to the GTUC, have it instead be used to do some rehabilitation work at the college. That process, according to the incumbent President, has been moving afoot.
She pointed out that the building that houses the GTUC and CLC situated at Woolford Avenue, Georgetown, is currently in dire need of rehabilitation. And this, she explained, is understandably linked to a protracted lack of finances.
“Our building would have been deteriorating at a fast rate and so in order to have our students be comfortable and able to perform we have to ensure that the atmosphere is conducive to learning and those money are going to be used to create that kind of atmosphere,” said McDonald as she spoke of plans to incorporate a computer laboratory for students to utilise.
As such she speculated that the expected intent for the subvention in the near future will be to do much more than just paying lecturers as there are plans for it to be used to help brighten the college as well.
Currently there are still a number of classes being conducted at the college. In addition, a section of the building is utilised by the Texila American University.
But according to McDonald, it is important to have the CLC operating in an efficient manner since “we recognise that the college offers a second chance to poor people’s children; it can help to give them a second chance in life.”
McDonald is essentially working towards ensuring that she not only goes down in history as the second woman to be elected President of the GTUC but that she ensures that CLC is improved under an untainted tenure.

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