Dear Editor,
GAWU and Komal Chand at this time cannot desert the redundant workers when they need him and the union most.
Sean Ori in his letter said that the former president should bow out from the leadership of the PPP and allow others the mantle; one thing he should know is that Mr Jagdeo got the most votes at the last congress. The Ex-Co and the Central Executive Committee had elected him as the leader of the PPP. The former president has a right to question Komal Chand to explain what is ‘common ground’; after all he is the honorary president of the union.
When Dr Jagan became the executive president of Guyana, he became the honorary president of the union and he was dealing with union matters while being the president. I know this as a fact because he had settled a matter with me and Komal Chand in relation to my salary. At the time the union was paying me $ 3,000 for 3 days a week’s work at Caricom Rice Mills as a field secretary.
According to Seepaul Narine, the union had furnished the former president with the outcome of the meeting with the Granger administration team, but it seems that he did not read it. Looking at the press release with Narine, no one had gained points in the meeting and they placed their cards on the table but nothing tangible came out. The union proposals look good for the sugar workers and I must compliment Komal Chand and his team for putting forward an excellent package to the Granger administration.
It was a no win situation in the first round and I did not see that the administration had gained political points over the union as the former president claimed. I know the GAWU has always selected the best negotiating team with the most experienced men around the bargaining table, who never buckle under pressure but always come out as winners.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
