Trade Unions in Guyana will only win back the considerable support of the workers that they have lost over the years by undertaking a frank and honest assessment of the role of the leadership of the movement that arrives at an understanding that leadership is about “giving service [and] not being in control,” according to General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis.
“Yes it is true that on the whole unions have lost the confidence of workers to the point where there is a high degree of indifference amongst those workers to trades unions. Much of it comes, in my opinion, from the fact that there has been a tendency on the part of some union leaders to see themselves as bureaucrats, union executives, rather than foot soldiers for the workers. Unfortunately, we had also faced a situation in which the administrative structures of unions had either collapsed completely or diminished. What that meant was that we lacked the tools to deliver the services that are required,” the General Secretary was quoted as saying.
