The end is near for local trade unions

Dec 06, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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…Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- Within the next twenty years, the trade union movement in Guyana is going to disappear. It is already on wobbly leg, unable to muster even the most mobilization to call an effective strike.

But the fortunes and poor prognosis for Guyanese trade unions is not unique to Guyana. Globally, trade unions have been in decline ever since conservatism, especially under Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher, launched an onslaught against the powerful unions of their day.

In the U.S., Reagan’s crushing of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) in 1981 marked a turning point; his mass firing of striking workers and banning them from federal employment for life sent a clear signal of the government’s hostility toward organized labour. Similarly, Thatcher’s tenure in the UK saw a systematic dismantling of union power, epitomized by her handling of the 1984-1985 miners’ strike. Thatcher introduced restrictive laws that curtailed unions’ ability to strike and made collective bargaining more difficult, while openly confronting and defeating the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), weakening union solidarity nationwide. Both leaders championed free-market ideologies and privatization, undermining traditional union strongholds and shifting public sentiment against organized labour, setting the stage for a sharp decline in union membership and influence in their respective countries.

In Guyana, the trade union movement has long been plagued by deep-seated political divisions. The consequences of these fractures are now painfully evident. Once a force for solidarity and worker empowerment, the trade union movement is now splintered along political lines. This has weakened its ability to effectively advocate for the rights and interests of workers. Instead of fostering unity among the working class, trade unions have often allowed partisan loyalties to overshadow their primary mission. Some of them are all but political proxies in name.

This division has eroded the credibility and effectiveness of the trade union movement. Leadership within many unions has grown increasingly disconnected from their membership, failing to address the pressing concerns of the modern workforce. As a result, union leaders are often perceived as “armchair generals”—individuals who issue directives and make declarations from a position of comfort without actively engaging with or understanding the struggles of those they represent. This disconnect has left many workers feeling alienated and disillusioned, further undermining the unions’ ability to mobilize and advocate effectively.

But the membership is also infected with the bug of political polarization. The membership of trade unions in Guyana is deeply divided along political lines, a division that significantly undermines solidarity and weakens the collective power of the labour movement. This fragmentation was starkly evident during the recent teachers’ strike, where political affiliations among members influenced the level of participation and support for the industrial action. Instead of presenting a unified front, many teachers were swayed by political considerations, with some aligning themselves with government narratives while others backed the union’s demands.

The combined impact of political fragmentation and disengaged leadership has rendered Guyana’s trade unions less relevant. To make matters worse, some leaders do not seem to appreciate the concept of retirement. They stick around long after their expiry date.

Despite their challenges, trade unions around the world are reinventing themselves to remain relevant. They are embracing new approaches and expanding their scope. Recognizing the limitations of traditional organizing methods, unions in other countries are increasingly focusing on gig and platform workers, advocating for fair pay and labour rights. They are leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage younger, tech-savvy workers while employing data analytics to identify organizing opportunities. Beyond workplace issues, unions are aligning with broader social movements, addressing challenges such as climate change, gender equality, and racial justice to attract a new generation of activists. Additionally, cross-border solidarity has emerged as a critical strategy. Others are seeking to provide more services such as training and recreational services to their membership while redefining their role as not just advocates for workers but also as champions of broader societal change.

Unlike their counterparts around the world that are actively reinventing themselves to remain relevant, trade unions in Guyana appear trapped in a cycle of terminal decline and inertia. While global unions are adapting, Guyana’s trade unions seem unable—or unwilling—to evolve. They cling to outdated methods and strategies that no longer have traction with the modern workforce, leaving them increasingly irrelevant to the very workers they are supposed to represent.

This stagnation has made them relics of the past, outmoded and disconnected from the pressing realities of today’s labour market. If this trend continues unchecked, it is only a matter of time—perhaps within the next two decades—before Guyana’s trade unions fade entirely into obsolescence, with their final decline marked by the metaphorical reading of last rites.

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

(The end is near for local trade unions)

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• armchair generals, leveraging digital platforms, membership of trade unions, twenty years

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