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GTUC President advocates for gender equality in the workplace
President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Coretta McDonald, yesterday highlighted struggles faced by women in the fight to achieve gender equality in the workplace.
Addressing the crowds at the annual Labour Day rally held at the National Park, the trade unionist declared that now is the time to change the “unacceptable norm”.
GTUC President, Coretta McDonald
McDonald had previously noted that the work and struggles of the male gender often overshadow the issues faced by women in the labour spheres.
According to McDonald, while women account for a significant portion of the labour force, issues facing them are often brushed aside.
“There is hardly any mention made of the females and their struggles; it is as if they do not exist.”
However, in her capacity as Leader of the GTUC, McDonald is seeking to shed more light on women’s and labour issues. She called on her male counterparts to take heed and move towards addressing the cries of women in the workplace.
“We must create the platform for the empowering of the women and youth. We must continue to promote gender equality, while we continue to advocate for improved working conditions for our women and youths.
We must continue to promote gender equality and continue the call for improved working conditions and eliminate the sexual and other forms of harassment in the workplaces,” Mc Donald stated emphatically.
She said that the Union has received a number of complaints about sexual harassment from females, particularly those employed by private security firms.
McDonald called on Unions to work in tandem with law enforcement, politicians and other stakeholders to help reduce the issues of sexual harassment in the workplace.
The GTUC President emphasized the need for policies, which will protect workers from any forms of harassment, regardless of their gender.
The trade unionist did note, however, that unions have a lot to celebrate.
“Comrades, today marks a 100 years of trade unionism in Guyana. This is no easy feat. Labour is on the move! We have come this far not only by faith but with the blood, sweat and tears of those who preceded us, and we will not let their sacrifices go in vain.”
“This is serious business. We cannot play chess with the lives of our workers. Our members’ welfare is first and foremost. We commemorate struggles for workers’ rights everywhere, because we earned the right to celebrate.
We acknowledge the devotion and contributions of the workers to ensure the prosperity, strength and well being of our country regardless of religion, colour, race, creed or political alliance and for these reasons, we are extremely proud of our members.”
As such, McDonald said that the Unions will continue to call for equal rights, social justice, and respect for every class of worker and the Union that represents him or her.
“It is written and has been proven that no country or company could flourish or even be sustained without labourers. It is a known fact that labourers have great political influence and that certain labour issues have helped several political parties to win elections.
Our political leaders must be reminded that our labour force is no longer ignorant and uneducated about our rights or can be easily suppressed,” McDonald added, as she called on her fellow Trade Unionists to take the proactive approach towards addressing the issues of concern to workers.
“As a trade movement, we must have the wisdom and courage to tackle problems when they arise and we should never wait to find solutions. We must be proactive; have measures in place to defend and improve quality of the Public Service.”
McDonald noted, however, that this could only be achieved through cooperation and solidarity.
“Therefore, the unity of the trade union movement is the key to achieving the objective.
It is in our common interest to elaborate sustainable approaches in order to promote jobs, growth and social justice, creating well-designed social policies. We cannot do this alone, we have to force the hand of the government and opposition to ensure that labour is included at the highest level of decision-making,” she said.
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