Death of a brother, a comrade and friend, Komal Chand

Apr 19, 2020 Eye on Guyana with Lincoln Lewis, Features / Columnists

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A brave warrior of the trade union movement has fallen. Today I eulogise the memory of a brother, a comrade and friend, Komal Chand of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), as a champion among modern day trade unionists.
Whereas he was initially associated with sugar workers, he subsequently represented workers in the forestry and fishery sectors. Chand was an indefatigable and memorable trade unionist whose service to this nation and its workers transcend over 45 years. Three-quarters of this was in the sugar belt, where GAWU was one of two unions. Komal left this earth holding the prestigious position of President-General of GAWU. A position that he earned through his activism over the years.
The trade union philosophy which informs the empowerment of workers, and improvement of conditions of labour regardless of class, race or political persuasion is the fundamental factor which drives a true trade unionist.
Brother Chand may have associated predominantly for the most part of his career in the sugar belt and GAWU known for its affiliation as the labour arm of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He was among the few trade unionists who became an active politician serving in the highest decision-making forum of our land as a PPP Member of Parliament from 1992 unto the time of his death.
Komal also served as a Central Executive member of the PPP, having run for office and being elected on the floor. Such was his popularity and ability to climb both the labour and political ladders successfully. And though his political position may have at times impacted some of his decisions, I am confident that he was in his heart a trade unionist first.
That being so, and guided by the trade union philosophy and fundamental principles of social justice, he would no doubt have been a better politician than many whom he served with and under. He understood struggle. He understood people’s needs, he understood the rank and file workers and the importance of trade unionism. He also equally understood the political power which GAWU offered the PPP. And the role that he had to play to reach the height he reached.
I would be a bold-faced pretender if I dared to declare that I believed and agreed with every action or position taken by him. I did not, but I hesitate not to say that I understood his predicament or limitations given the well-known political agenda that GAWU executed on behalf of the PPP.
In 1999 we parted ways when Komal led GAWU out of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC). This was after unarmed, peaceful workers of The Guyana Public Service Union were shot in front of the John Fernandes wharf, resulting in the GTUC issuing a strong condemnatory statement against the Janet Jagan government for breaking the sacred pledge that there would never be another incident of workers ever being shot down by the State as occurred with the sugar workers in the Enmore protest of 1948.
This was a blow to trade union unity that culminated in those unions now under another federation opportunistically using the name of FITUG, but totally unrelated. This separation under different umbrellas, however, did not stop our brotherhood. I have never failed one day to lend my support to sugar workers in any of their struggles for betterment, irrespective of the regime in power.
My brother, though not as supportive of bauxite workers during the PPP stewardship, however demonstrated, joined in solidarity of bauxite workers to pressure the current regime in relation to the impasse between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU) and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI). I understand the pressures he faced. I forgive him. I know where his heart truly rests.
Komal Chand was someone I could often rely on. As a young trade unionist, I recall him coming to my rescue as I sought to represent a grievance matter of workers who were misled into believing that the GB&GWU had sold them out. This occurred during a strike of the original, non PPP-controlled Federation of Independent Trades Union (FITUG)-affiliated unions in 1989 following a seven-week resistance strike to the Economic Recovery Program (ERP) then dubbed empty rice pot by then political Opposition WPA and the PPP.
At a meeting with unions in solidarity in Georgetown, a decision was taken to end the strike due to the fact that the bauxite unions successfully negotiated with the management of GUYMINE, a package which included a percentage of bauxite assigned to purchase essential food items for workers employed in the bauxite industry.
On returning to Linden, however, to advise the bauxite workers of the breakthrough achieved on their behalf, workers were met by a hostile workforce identifying their leaders as sell-out. We subsequently learned at a meeting held at the church hall, they were deliberately misled by a prominent section of the religious community who was active politically as an anti-government force desirous of seeing the strike continue and be used as a political tool.
Despite the decision made in Georgetown to call of the strike, Union leaders faced a challenge to actually address this with the workers in the highly charged environment created by weeks of strike actions and fueled by misinformation, creating divisions. It took speeches from the late Brothers Gordon Todd, Leslie Melville, and finally Komal Chand, who was best received by the irate crowd filling the GB&GWU’s auditorium, compound and the street in Linden.
Looking back at this bit of history, I can vividly recall Komal taking the microphone and saying to the workers “I am a PPP…I will want to see this Government go and the PPP to take over, but this strike was never called for a removal of a Government, this strike was called to get a consequential adjustment to your benefits and the unions have done so, and it is time for implementation.”
Komal was able to use his cool, calm demeanour to reach out and calm bauxite workers. This was impressive. This was brother helping brother by standing in solidarity when the need was apparent. That moment of showing brotherhood and support was a defining moment in our relationship for me. I learnt a valuable lesson that day as it relates to making collective decisions and having them implemented. And to my departed brother I say once again, thanks!
I also had opportunities to travel with Komal abroad on Trade Union activities. We always bonded well. One memory comes readily to mind at a Caribbean Congress of Labour Conference in Barbados, where an apartment was made available to be occupied by Komal Chand, Nanda Gopaul, Christopher James and yours truly. I was the only proficient cook and Komal quickly volunteered to be the under-chef helping to cut up the seasonings and so forth. I showed off my culinary skills and baked about six pounds of chicken, enough to satisfy everyone.
The meal was so good that somehow it was finished and when Christopher applied for his share he was met by bones. Komal and Gopaul were blaming each other over who ate out the chicken and left the bones. Komal’s defence was he was assigned the task to wash wares and cut up the seasoning, Christopher to clean up, Lincoln was to cook, and since the only person without an assignment was Gopaul, it had to be him, since he took up the task of only eating.
There was a quick wit, a smart and humorous side of Komal that many may not know. I have seen his many sides and love him, nonetheless. He has left a legacy greater in stature, and sugar workers as well as the trade union movement will miss this historical figure. May his work provide inspiration, teaching and learning opportunities for our nation’s workforce.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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