GAWU President, Komal Chand address to GAWU May Day 2006 Rally

This is how I began my address, right here – one short year ago: “Another Workers’ Day – Labour Day, May Day – has rolled around. It is an important day for the working masses all over the world. At today’s Workers’ Day they will reflect on the past and renew their conviction and pledge to maintain their struggles for the future. Against this background, let me again this year, as President of Guyana’s leading and largest workers bargaining agent, welcome you to this rally in the name of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and under OUR THEME: “Aspiring for Trade Union Transparency, Accountability and Unity.” Despite the world-wide set-backs and challenges, GAWU is comforted by the fact that this festival of the working-class is being celebrated by hundreds of thousands of workers in the world, in more than one hundred (100) countries.

In some countries due to authoritarian rule, workers are not permitted to celebrate this day. That is why we in Guyana must appreciate the freedom, the right, and the duty, our responsibility to gather, in this manifestation of workers’ solidarity. Let us cherish and guard fiercely, this freedom. We remember in some past years for GAWU, the right to hold May Day march and Rally was prevented by the use of force. In recent years, though, basic human and civil rights, including Trade Union rights have been respected. And, these are a reflection of the renewed democracy we enjoy today. We fought for this democracy and it is our duty to protect and expand it.” UNQUOTE

OUR THEME FOR THIS MAY DAY – OUR STARK REALITIES

This year’s carefully chosen May Day theme is “LABOUR IN PURSUIT OF PEACE AND PROGRESS.” Defining it simply, means “the varied, deliberate efforts of workers and their representatives, what is left of a labour movement, if you like, in searching for and promoting peaceful co-existence and all-round progress and development in our country!
Yes, my friends, today’s address has as its key elements, LABOUR, PEACE and PROGRESS. It also posits that only in an environment of peace and stability can a society achieve social and economic justice and progress. Today’s realities in this – still our beloved – land have determined that we make an objective assessment of them thus determine the path Guyana’s working class together with other sections of the population must take to address them. In the light of present day developments, we see this as a primary task on this May Day. Your union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) cannot afford to be an OSTRICH, hiding its head in the sands. We must call a spade a spade. We must face up to the truths.

As is customary because of GAWU’s international affiliations and our fraternal relations and responsibilities I shall still touch on events and developments of international significance a littler later on. But my dear comrades, friends and colleagues, recent events make it incumbent upon me to address the real current and potential THREATS to our very survival as a nation – which if allowed to prevail will prevent ANY PEACE, CO-EXISTENCE OR PROGRESS. I refer to the CRIME SITUATION.

THE THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR FREEDOM

Workers, Guyanese, Comrades recall that just a few moments ago I mentioned how relatively free we are in this country – free to assemble, free to access information, free to speak, to celebrate Labour Day today. Yes, we have the freedom of choice too. Those freedoms, those rights constitute vital elements of our DEMOCRACY. We must preserve them. NOT or NEVER lose them through the barrels of stolen, illegal, black marketed rifles and machine-guns! Comrades, very recent happenings suggest that threat has become real. And, I know, that it is obvious to many.

The democracy we enjoy also dictates that amongst the wide and varied membership of GAWU are members from across the political spectrum holding varying views politically. The GAWU, as a union, respects this mix and recognizes that at the Union level it does not present our united efforts and actions in defence of our workers’ rights and interests. As Guyanese, we also share many common dreams and aspirations. Therefore, my remarks now must be taken within the context of the union’s genuine concern for your own welfare and that of our nation.

The post-2002 crime wave has spawned a new breed of criminals who resort to out-and-out savagery in the conduct of their criminal deeds. They obviously were trained in the use of sophisticated military-type weaponry. They also have ACCESS to guns and ammunition they have safe-havens and accomplices in transportation and medical care, as well as electronic communication capabilities; they have funding – either before or after their criminal plunder. And, my fellow Guyanese, THEY HAVE HAD VARIOUS LEVELS OF INTELLECTUAL GUIDANCE – if not political affiliation or loyalty. Well-chosen, trained killer squads are now let loose on innocent citizens perceived to be enemies through either wealth, race, bad business or politics. Perhaps with connivance and intelligence emanating from official sources, they strike with impunity and thumb their noses at the relatively puny efforts of the police and army.

Their successes are sometimes lauded by the misguided, by the sponsors, and by those who use them to employ murder, menace, mayhem and other criminal behaviour to make the society cower, live in fear; become destablised and ungovernable.

The even more frightening news my friends, is this: TODAY FOR ONE, TOMMORROW FOR ANOTHER! What goes around comes around! Never be fooled into accepting – or worst celebrating – your neighbour’s tragedy in this country; never exult in a fellow citizen’s loss. WHY!? Already, it is obvious that the spiral of violence is beyond certain sponsors. YOU, WE ALL COULD BE THE NEXT VICTIMS! Specific hits requested, organized, programmed, strategic savagery can rebound.

The point the union wishes to instill, if it is not clear by now, is this: there is the imminent likelihood that the executions, the hits, the assassinations, can soon extend beyond the presumably planned parameters. ALL of us then could be possible victims. No PPP, PNC, GAP, UF, WPA, NFA, etc member will escape. That is why all of us must make and take a stand NOW.

Be your neighbours’ keeper, if even to warn of strangers and intruders. Find ways to assist the good trustworthy officers of the Force. See the defeat of the forces of evil as a community and national duty. Because it is. Your civic duty now becomes your survival. GAWU members, let’s all rally to the cause of defeating savage criminality in our system; let’s rally to the cause of our survival. Let us all collectively say the days for barbarism and criminality are long past.

AROUND THE WORLD

What has occurred internationally since last we gathered here? What events orchestrated by those we have no influence over, have impacted upon us one way or the other?

The present International Situation, unfortunately is fraught with many dangers. In such an atmosphere the conditions of the working people are directly and most affected.

The continuing occupation of Iraq by the US and UK has continued to dominate the headlines internationally. Both the US and British government cannot escape responsibilities for the genocides now unleashed on the Iraqi people including children, the old and women. Tens of thousands of innocent people have been massacred since the invasion and occupation of that country three (3) years ago and more than two thousand US soldiers, sons and daughters of ordinary American have lost their lives, thousands more injured, there, since the beginning of the invasion.

The pretexts offered for the illegal war have fallen apart. There were no weapons of mass destruction. None was found before and after the invasion. Having failed to find any weapons of mass destruction, we were then told by official circles that the objectives of the invasion was to bring regime change and democracy to Iraq. Saddam Hussein has been removed, yet, Iraq is as far away from democracy as the earth is from the sun.

It is once again proven that democracy, if it is to be genuine, cannot be imposed from outside. Any attempt to do so will certainly meet with failure. Who therefore benefits from the debacle?

It is the big oil companies whose profits are piling up higher than the ceiling while working people in the world have to pay more not only for oil, but for almost every item due to the rising price of oil.

Another raging issue that is contributing to the rising price of oil is the threat to Iran of an imminent invasion by the US, the pretext this time being Iran’s developing of its nuclear capability. Iran argues its uranium enrichment is purely for civilian purposes and not part of a clandestine effort to make atomic bombs as argued by the United States.

GAWU wishes to make its position clear on the issue of nuclear weapons. We are opposed to nuclear weapons. We believe that all nuclear weapons should be banned.

The world would be a much safer place without these hazardous weapons, capable of horrifying destruction of lives and property as seen when the US atom bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Having said that, let me say, that from all accounts Iran is developing its nuclear energy for peaceful purpose and therefore it should not be punished nor invaded. After all, the country is bordered by countries all of which have nuclear weapons. They are China, India, Israel, Pakistan and Russia.

In fact Iran has never attacked any country first. It is, therefore, intriguing to note that the US does not want Iran to have any nuclear capacity while they have been the main contributor to Israel’s nuclear power, a country that has a history of invasions and aggression even as it continues to colonise the Palestinian people .

We again reiterate our position for general nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weaponry.

Comrades, over the past year, we have been seeing a tremendous fight-back on the part of the working people in all countries to defend their economic, social and political positions. The shifts taking place in Latin America are most striking.

The continent is experiencing some great changes. Governments of the left of centre, have assumed office in most of the continent. The neo-liberal policies imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have failed to solve the problems of the people.

Momentous struggles by the people of Bolivia prevented the privatization of many industries and led to the victory of Evo Morales at the polls a few months ago.

Comrades and friends as has been said so often in the past, we are living in a period of globalization. Capital is a global reality. It moves around seeking cheap labour to exploit; it does not matter if it is in Mexico, China, India or Ghana it moves where the most profits can be made.

To fight this Global Power of Capital, the working people must unite across borders and artificial barriers such as race, religion or culture. This is the only way they will prevent capital from playing off one set of workers against the other and one country against another.

Although we are from a small, poor country the GAWU will do all it can to promote international workers solidarity so that we can all benefit from globalization and not corporations alone.

CUBA

Comrades, while I speak about international relations and developments, as I always do I wish to extend our fraternal solidarity to Cuba and its people. This year I wish to extend our appreciation to the Cuban Government and people for their assistance to our country and its people.

Last year and this year, during the period of floods in our country, the assistance the Cuban Doctors provided, played a significant role in the treatment of the flood affected people. In fact for some three decades Cuban doctors have been doing yeoman service in our country. We can say without contradiction that our Medical Institution in Guyana is strong and vibrant and the Cubans have had a praise-worthy role in that.

With hundreds of Guyanese now being trained especially in the field of medicine, the Medical Institutions in Guyana will certainly develop to a higher level.

Within the next few years, out of a recent Agreement between President Bharat Jagdeo and President Fidel Castro additional hundreds of young Guyanese will be in Cuba pursuing medical studies. We owe the Cuban Government and the Cuban people a debt of gratitude for the growing assistance to our country. Comrades let us, also, remember the thousands of Guyanese who are receiving eye surgery for free in Cuba, beginning some months ago. Within a few months the Cuban Government will assist in the staffing and procuring of medical equipment for Four Diagnostic Centers in our country at Mahaicony, Diamond, West Demerara and Suddie and an Ophthalmology Centre (Eye Clinic) at Port Mourant. The Diagnostic Centres are now under construction. For a number of years they would be fully staffed by Cuban Medical Technicians, Doctors and Nurses. They expectedly will be one of the best in the Caribbean especially the Ophthalmology Centre. There are other ventures like the installing of free energy saving bulbs in poor homes and government buildings.

I wish to recall what a friend said to me the other day about the Guyanese doctors who are returning after being trained in Cuba. He said that the environment in North America has destroyed some of our Guyanese and many unfortunately, are deported to Guyana as criminals while from Cuba our young Guyanese are returning as professionals.

Like in the past years, at the May Day rostrum of GAWU we express our solidarity with the Cuban people and call on the United States of America to respect, at last, the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to end Washington’s 45-year economic blocade against the island.

Long live Cuba and the Cuban Revolution

CARICOM – VOLATILE? OR HOPEFUL?

Guyana is, politically, culturally, economically, a part of CARICOM – the Caribbean Community of Nations which is in the process of implementing a Caribbean Single Market and a Single Economy. This, we submit, is easier said than done.

Our policymakers, our regional and national technical officers have to carefully consider the myriad implications of the Single Market. GAWU hopes and expects that our own Government is considering how trade, investments, tax and other relevant laws, import-export conditions, fiscal matters, trade union laws, movement of people requirements – how all of these components will impact on our own economy and people. This is an issue, a development that we all must involve ourselves in much more.

Even as the member-states grapple with finding common ground in all the areas to implement a single market, and much later, a single economy, there is still some amount of social and political turmoil. HAITI still experiences political and constitutional uncertainty, even after the recent elections. Jamaica and Trinidad are subject to alarming crime rates. These situations can have consequences for all of CARICOM and it also true that an unstable situation in any member state can have ripples in all.

St Kitts, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad are all re-adjusting their economics as a result of the European Union treacherous Agricultural Reform. We have to face up with the arbitrary thirty-six (36) per cent price cut of our sugar by the European Union. The cut will severely hamper not only the sugar industries in the Caribbean but significantly impact on the economies of our countries. It is timely to recall that it is Europe that expropriated our countries’ resources including its human resources in the form of slavery and indentureship for centuries and become affluent through these exploits. They have now compounded our woes and hurt us by significantly lowering our sugar price.

In this world of Western protectionist Power Clubs and Economic Blocs, we in the Caribbean and Guyana – through a partnership between government and people have got to forge legislative and business linkages – a common front and policies and trading features to survive. The rich and powerful northern nations continue to forge one set of policies for themselves and another set for the developing countries. Developed countries were expected to do away with their many agricultural subsidies and to give greater access to their own markets for developing countries. But they have failed to do so. The developed countries are prepared to implement reduce trade-distorting agricultural subsidies and increased access of their markets for agricultural products, in return for significant market liberalization in developing countries, particularly for industrial products. According to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) the current proposals of the developed countries could result in massive job loss and deindustrialization in South Africa, and many other developing countries.

GUYANA-CHALLENGES AGAINST ACHIEVEMENTS

Since last we met here, when we were still in the throes of recovery from the January, 2005 Great Floods, Guyana has struggled successfully to stay alive if not buoyant.

Massive expenditures on drainage, flood-protection measures, an early National Budget this year, in spite of yet more destructive floods in January, crucial investments and assistance from the Chinese, the Russians, the Canadian, the Cuban, the Trinidadians and others have characterized a nation and its administration determined to weather storms – literally and figuratively.

Since last May Day, the EU – like ungrateful parents, has indicated its intentions to largely turn its back on our sugar. Fortunately, GUYSUCO in partnership with the Government has begun in earnest, its Skeldon Expansion Project which will see a new modernized factory, reformed field management and new human resource utilization and redeployment which will result in the lowering of production costs that is aimed at keeping sugar alive and well in Guyana. As we in Guyana understand the Government, along with the Management of Guysuco, continues to work on plans not to close any estate.

Guysuco is seeking support from the European Union over the ensuing years in the sum of US$621 million dollars to adopt a number of measures to modernize the industry and prepare it to be competitive so that it can be sustainable. With adequate financial support Guysuco can realize its Action Plan that was submitted to the European Union for support and return the industry to viability. Competitiveness in the new circumstances have crept up stealthily.

The GAWU remains optimistic that in partnership and the correct plans and approach, we can save our sugar industry, the jobs of sugar workers, and our economy.

The GAWU is committed to play its role to save the sugar industry.

POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Comrades, as we turn our thoughts to the political environment, much does not offer in great comfort.

In and out of Parliament, differences are, seemingly, increasingly difficult to conciliate. Overshadowing and underlying this state of affair, is the reality of imminent general and regional elections. Yes comrades, this is the season which somehow brings out the worst in certain political contestants. Charge and counter-charge, allegations, boycotts, legal and constitutional challenges and maneuverings offer us – the working class – and indeed the entire populace – no opportunity for the more normal – even if robust – electioneering contests which ought to be characterized by civility, respect, even humour.

Comrades, GAWU asks that you observe, study, recognize the techniques and the villains of the peace. Know who is causing confusion and confrontation and why and on what ground? And, we must finally condemn those that unsuccessfully sow discord or resort to unwarranted, at times, violent methods to secure their political ends!

CURRENT STATUS

As the Parliament’s life comes to an end, in a few days time what can we the people do to ensure peace and stability?

Our people must understand that we have to co-exist together despite our political beliefs. The ordinary people must continue to maintain their good neighbourly relations within their communities and beyond. Do not be influenced by those, politicans whose actions and rhetoric are aimed at creating hate and divisions. Let us, in unity, seek to develop our country for all to live peacefully and to enjoy its resources.

TRADE UNION DIVISION

There are now in Guyana two Trade Union Umbrella Organisations – the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). The membership in FITUG is growing. The Unions which are affiliates of this body represent a large number of workers in strategic entities both in the private and public sectors. It will not be surprising to see other affiliates of the GTUC moving over to FITUG in the ensuing months. The GTUC has failed to recognize the changing times. It has been unwilling to address issues like democracy and transparency raised by those Unions which were once its affiliates. No doubt, with good leadership, always on the side of workers, democratic and independent of the multinationals, FITUG will grow in the years ahead. It has the possibility of giving genuine leadership and protection to all unions and workers in our country. We extend a hand of solidarity to all workers irrespective of their continued membership to the TUC. We believe in working class unity and solidarity and will continue to forge links with all unions.

GUYANA TOMMORROW

So friends, as I conclude this rather brief, but I hope pointed, presentation, I ask the questions that all of you might be considering also: WHAT OF TOMMORROW? What does the future hold for Guyana?

Let’s accentuate the positives, wherever they are. We have just begun officially to observe the 40th Anniversary of political independence from Britain. Government and private sector entities have planned exhibitions, Freedom Runs, massive youth participation and projects., regional rallies and development works, historical presentations – even by the Bank of Guyana. There will also be a Flag Raising ceremony and a gala series of concerts along with debates and other intellectual pursuits in schools, university and the media. These activities will re-kindle our sense of patriotism, desirable harmony and the determination to maintain our independent sovereignty and integrity.

As we look to the future, we as families within the neighbourhood and communities must become much more SECURITY CONSCIOUS. Band together become your brother’s keeper; collectively purchase or acquire security equipment; develop techniques to protect households and businesses. Let there be safety in numbers as well as in action.

You have decisions and choices to make for Election Day. Let your considerations and criteria be based on good reason, issues and honest characters. The choice is ours my friends; we decide the future, what we want for ourselves, our children and Guyana.

GAWU hopes that the remainder of 2006 will see much more unity, peace and progress at all levels. Safety and security must be given priority consideration by the relevant agencies of our country. We deserve to see Cricket World Cup in our new national stadium. We must be great hosts to those who attend our CARICOM Headquarters at Turkeyen and all who gather at our new Convention Centre. We eagerly await the Berbice Bridge and the new Oil Refinery. We look forward to pot-hole free highways with lighted ones from Timehri to Rosignol. We must accommodate our new airlines, the cement facility and bauxite mines. We must continue to take pride in the strides made in health, education, housing, construction and infrastructure.

We have indeed, made positive advances. Let us all work to remove the security/crime issue that is a strain to our record of achievements.

We are poised at this May Day 2006 to attain even greater heights in the future.

Yes people, THERE IS HOPE!

Long live May Day
Long live GAWU
Long live the Working Class
Long live the Republic of Guyana