Union recognition and check-off are mandatory in all countries, except maybe in communist countries and other dictatorships

Feb 21, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I write to comment on the concept ‘check off’, a labour term, about which a few letters appeared in the media as related to the cancellation of collection of union dues by Ministry of Education for GTU which has called a strike.

I do not follow the reasons for the teachers’ strike and what they seek from the Ministry. Thus, I cannot offer fair commentary on the issue. I do know that both students and (and parents) as well as the teachers themselves are hurting. Thus, both the Ministry and representatives of the teachers need to get together and find common ground to end the strike. I taught economics for over decades and I was also a trade unionist. I was an executive of my local chapter of educators for twenty five years, nine of which as leader and the others as delegate or de facto deputy. Thus, I am familiar with labor rights and organizations and the law in regards to the USA. Some of the rights are universal. Labour Economics is part of the curriculum of the course I taught. The concept of ‘check off’ is part of labour economics. Union recognition and check off are mandatory in all countries, except maybe in communist countries and other dictatorships. Union recognition is when workers vote to form a union at a job.

Check-off is when an employer collects union dues from workers and remit same to the union. That is the law in the USA and in Guyana as well as other democratic countries.

Guyanese socialists or communists tend to degrade the American labor system as exploitative and anti-labor. But USA is more pro-working class than socialist or communist and left wing countries. In America, workers enjoy greater rights than in socialist countries including Guyana. In USA, labour laws empower workers whose rights are enforced by what Guyanese communists call the oppressive bourgeois government and the bourgeois court. Socialist countries violate workers’ rights; workers are victimized for pursuing higher wages or fringe benefits.

Free trade unionism don’t exist. In capitalist countries, workers have a right to form unions which have check off rights; trade unionism exists. The employers in capitalist America must collect union dues. Employers meet with union representatives of unions to negotiate wages. The employers cannot meet with workers directly to negotiate wages. The court will intervene and the employers could be fined. In many countries, authoritarian leaders are known to do as they please with workers and even negotiate directly with workers, which is unheard of in bourgeois countries. In USA, workers have rights and courts as well as government tend to side with them. Since there are more workers than employers, politicians in America tend to side with workers to win their votes and by extension seats.

The government of Guyana stated it will no longer enforce the check off system for the teachers’ union. When workers violate a contract, the contract ends including in USA. Employers can refuse to enforce the check off system and even fire the employees who go in strike as happened in USA to teachers and aviation employees or traffic controllers in 1981. Burnham was known to fire teachers as well as withheld their salaries when they struck. It happened to teachers in the 1977 strike on the Corentyne. In NY, teachers were fined two days pay for every day on strike and or fired. Members lost pension rights. The union was also fined. The President of the union was jailed. The union lost check off. At the end of the strike, all penalties were reversed. Check off was restored. Teachers who lost salary were given extra work to recover wages. Fines were waived. Clearly, workers are better off in USA than in Guyana.

The GTU losing check off is normal for any union on strike. But once the strike is over, it should be restored. That is usually a condition for ending a strike. Penalties are rescinded as happened in the 1977 strike. Efforts must be made to end the strike.

Separately, I was asked about the fate of the three teachers who were penalized in December 1976, an action that triggered the Corentyne strike. All three were offered lucrative positions but rejected them. The trio left the job and pursued tertiary education in America. Chaitram Singh earned PhD in International Relations. Jagnandan earned PhD in Chemistry. Indira Poonwassie also obtained degrees in Texas. As for student leaders, several pursued degrees in North America.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

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• cancellation, communist, Countries, parents, Vishnu Bisram

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