-Chand urges at FITUG rally
By Gaulbert Sutherland
Subsidising some food items, restricting the export of certain commodities, price caps and anti-hoarding measures are what FITUG unions would like to see action on by the government, General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) Komal Chand says.
Speaking at the Federation of Independent Trade Union of Guyana (FITUG) May Day Rally on the National Park tarmac, Chand said that the world is witnessing a staggering increase in food prices and blamed several factors including increasing consumption in some countries, high oil prices, the “craze” towards bio-fuel production and global warming. Noting that local workers are being affected by high food prices too, he said that the union would like to see the government subsidizing certain food items. The unionist also called for a national task force to monitor the situation “to see what can be done”.
Once again, even as the union leaders called for unity, their actions spoke otherwise as after starting off together, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and FITUG separated and held their own rallies. Hundreds from the various unions that are a part of FITUG gathered at the National Park tarmac to be addressed by that union’s leadership. However, Grantley Culbard, General Secretary of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union, who was listed to speak, was not present and no explanation was offered except that he was “unable to be here at this time”. Chand and President of FITUG and Guyana Labour Union (GLU) Leader Carvil Duncan spoke to mostly lukewarm responses from the crowd. GLU’s President General Robert Corbin attended the GTUC rally. The union has been divided over the GLU’s decision to join FITUG.
In his address also, Chand, stating that the issue of crime cannot be ignored and noting the hosting of several activities including the Cricket World Cup, declared that when it was thought that it was over, “organized crime and well-supported banditry” reared up again, pointing to the massacres at Lusignan and Bartica. He expressed disappointment that the Stakeholders motion did not get the approval of some in parliament.
He also addressed the issue of the Critchlow Labour College (CLC) and declaring that it was established to provide education for workers and this objective no longer has prominence at the institution, asserted that it needs to rediscover its objectives.
He said that the union would call on state funding for CLC to be resumed once the board is accountable and operates with transparency and in workers’ interests. He said that a “truly representative board” should be installed at the college.
