In a message to mark the occasion, Yarde called on workers to salvage the gains unjustly undermined, such as the unification of the Public Service, where all
positions were permanent and pensionable, enjoyed security of tenure and were constitutionally protected from political tampering and, or interference; the reactivation of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal, which in violation of the provisions of the Constitution has been deactivated for over a decade; respect for collective bargaining agreements and ILO conventions; respect for the reemployment of retired persons agreement, whereby the union’s concurrence is a compulsory factor; full respect for the Check-off Agreement and the restoration of the Agency Shop Agreement; the adherence to the Public Service Rules and Public Service Commission’s Rules, including the procedures for the amendment of these rules; and the creation of a level playing field for all workers, without discrimination and double standards.
Yarde noted that today’s workers suffer betrayal by many of those they have promoted to advance their cause at the political level, and who have formed allegiances with materialists who are greed-driven, regardless of the human cost.
“Such allegiances have fostered anti-working class alliances and have carried out ruthless and massive attacks on workers, who continually seek to climb out of the morass of poverty. As such, these alliances could prove terminal to the very existence of the working class, if not defeated. A major concern in this struggle is the unwitting involvement of some sectors of workers, who unconsciously undermine their own welfare and that of other workers, by becoming (patrons of) political cronyism. This weakness or deficiency must be permanently repaired and a campaign launched to reunite the working class, as an active force, working in the interest of all.”
“The case in point was evident on the campaign trail in the recent general elections, where several commitments were given, from all sides of the political divide, to address matters that would significantly contribute to bettering the cause of workers generally, including treating, as a priority, with the concerns of the working poor. This was foremost amongst the pledges by the current political administration. It has been six months since the installation of this PPP/C government and as usual, the outpouring of much cautious optimism, but so far to no avail.
The expected changes have not been forthcoming and from what we have experienced, so far, the PPP/C’s methodology for dealing with the working class, has assumed its all familiar trend. In short, nothing has changed and change seems unlikely.”
Yarde said workers must therefore unite as a singular force in order to overcome the obstacles to economic upliftment and fair and equitable treatment.
The constant struggle for fair and equitable treatment for the working class in Guyana has become an elusive aspiration, even though promises in that regard have been repeatedly made during campaigns for political office, Yarde said. Such promises cannot be trusted to advance the cause of the working class in the foreseeable future, he added.
This unfortunate period of the country’s history, Yarde declared, “should only embolden us to stand unified against the anti-working class assaults with renewed determination to exhort fair and equal treatment, including living wages, good governance and prosperity for all.”
However, notwithstanding the many difficulties and injustices, Yarde maintained that “Our patriotism to the country and loyalty and commitment to the cause of working people should remain unshaken.”
