GAWU denies not filing annual returns

Aug 01, 2019 News

The country’s largest sugar union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), has denied it has not been filing its annual returns with the Registrar of Trade Unions.

GAWU’s General Secretary, Seepaul Narine, has written the Registrar of Trade Unions, denying the union has not been submitting annual returns.

In a letter Monday from GAWU’s General Secretary, Seepaul Narine, to Nicole Prince,
Registrar of Trade Unions of the Deeds Registry, the union insisted that it is up-to-date with its filings.
GAWU and several other unions were among 260 organisations named by the Registrar over the weekend as not filing returns in accordance with regulations.
In fact, scores of the unions and associations had failed to do so for decades.
GAWU was said to owe for 1962-1965, 1967-1969, 1973, 1974, 1976-2010 and 2012-2018, according to the Official Gazette notice over the weekend.
In its letter to the Registrar denying it failed to file, GAWU noted that trade unions are
exempted from the payment of tax but required to file annual returns in accordance with
Section 35 of the Trade Unions Act; Chapter 98:03, Laws of Guyana.
GAWU said that its returns up to 2017 were filed.
“Our union’s Statement of Accounts for 2018 are currently being audited by the
Auditor General Office. On completion of this audit, a copy would be filed with the Deeds
Registry for the Office of Registrar of Trade Unions.”
GAWU pointed out that two years ago, in the High Court, in the matter of
GAWU-vs-Khemraj Ramjattan before Justice Nareshwar Harnanan, the Registrar of Trade Unions was summoned and did provide to the Court GAWU’s records for the past seven years for the court’s perusal.
“We do hope, Registrar, that by this letter, you will have a better understanding of GAWU’s
fulfillment of its responsibilities. We will certainly appreciate, too, a correction of the published…”
Among the unions and organisations were the Guyana Labour Union; the Guyana Postal & Telecommunication Workers Union; the Forest Products Association of Guyana; the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE); the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU); the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU); the Guyana Nurses Association and the Guyana Minibus Association.
The others named in the list are the National Mine Workers Union of Guyana, the Federal Management Staff Association, the United Minibus Union, the Guyana Private Trawlers Association, the Guyana Customs House Brokers Association, the National Workers Union, the General Workers Union and the Guyana Teachers Association Union.

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