Dear Editor,
Red Thread and Red Thread network Guyanese Women Across Race are very hurt and angry about the statement made by FITUG that we are not workers therefore we were not eligible to take part in the May Day march.
First of all we want to make it clear that we took part in the May Day march before in 2005. So this year was not our first time and we were not invited to either of the two marches.
We took part because as usual the marches and speeches on May Day do not acknowledge the caring work that we as women do as real work, although it is. We explained our approach in a press conference on April 28 in the following words:
“We are holding this press conference today because Thursday is Labour Day, and because the traditional May Day marches and speeches – whoever makes them – will as usual not begin with our unwaged labour as caregivers in our homes and communities and through our religious bodies, whether we are mothers or not. The marches and the speeches will not acknowledge our labour although it is our unwaged caring labour that is holding up our families, holding up our communities, and by so doing, holding up the whole economy – and although the more time we have to spend on making a dollar and stretching a dollar, the less time we have to give to caring for our children.”
The work of bearing and rearing children is critical to the economy. We are care-givers who labour continuously despite the extreme hardship we face to ensure the survival of our families. We are the ones on the front line struggling daily to stretch the dollar to make ends meet. We have the work of worrying about the safety of our families in the face of all the violence around us. We also have the work of planning how to keep our families together in spite of the present economic crisis. There are times when we are forced to choose between sending our children to school or feeding them. Isn’t this hard work? It is our unwaged labour that is holding up the families and the economy. It is our unwaged labour that is producing the work force. We as women, whether we are mothers or not, are the foundation workers, yet our work is not recognized or valued. If we are to cease doing this work the whole economy will be affected, because we are the backbone of the economy. If we decide not to do this work there will be no work force so there would be no need for a FITUG or any other union for that matter.
Yours sincerely
Nicola Marcus
for Red Thread
Shirley Shaffeek
for GWAR
