GTUC GS snubs President Ali’s labour brunch

May 19, 2025 News

─ says Guyanese workers remain disrespected

Kaieteur News- General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, has poured cold water on the labour brunch held by President Irfaan Ali at state house on Sunday, calling it a sham, as Guyanese workers and their unions continue to be disrespected by the government.

In a statement Sunday, Lewis said while he was invited to the “after liberty brunch” hosted by the head-of-state, he found it very difficult to attend, especially at this stage in Guyana’s development. The event was attended by government ministers, members of the diplomatic corps as well as some public sector workers.

GTUC GS snubs President Ali’s labour brunch

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis

Addressing attendees, the president said he was celebrating the Guyanese workers whom he dubbed the “wheels of production.” “In the rainy days, labour, the greatest form of dignity, must always know they have leadership they can trust. They have leadership they can rely on… and I commit once more to you, that the government I lead and the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government, will always be a government you could trust and rely on.

… I want you to know that we honour your hard work, we celebrate your hard work, and we will do so, not only by words, we will do so by action, as we have proven in the last four years,” Ali told the gathering.

A veteran trade unionist, Lewis contended that the president has never meaningfully engaged the trade union movement since taking office. He said unions have witnessed repeated transgressions over the years, particularly those perceived as not being aligned with the PPP.

“Just look at how the government has treated the Guyana Teachers’ Union. These are people who have been asking simply, asking for the government to negotiate with them in good faith. Instead, there’s been nothing but resistance and refusal. No intention to compromise. No interest in working with the union. And this pattern isn’t limited to the GTU, it extends to other unions as well.”

Addressing the GTU’s debacle, Lewis reminded that the court had made an order compelling the Ministry of Education to reinstate the check-off system so that the union could collect its dues. “What did the government do? They refused to comply and said they’re going to appeal the matter. One minister even had the nerve to say they’d take it all the way to CCJ. What does that tell us? It tells us that the government does not even respect the rulings from Guyanese judges, judges who are part of their own legal system.”

He continued, “So, here we are, watching our own government use taxpayers’ money, workers’ money, to fight those very workers. To deny them their fundamental rights. That’s not governance, that’s oppression,” he argued.

In early 2024, a few weeks after the passage of a $1.1 46 trillion budget, teachers across the country flooded the streets, challenging the government to pay increased salaries.

Their calls were never heeded, even with the intervention of the court. The union later called off the protest with the intention of meeting with the government; however, talks with the ministry fell through, and teachers took to the streets again in May. By June, teachers agreed to call off the strike, making way for conciliation between the two bodies. The GTU had maintained that the government considers its multi-year proposal from 2019 to 2023. The government was, however, adamant that it would only consider an agreement from 2024 onwards.

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