….says ‘workers we represent pay your salary from their toil and sweat’
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) have called out the Government over remarks made by its Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott, who in the Committee of Supply in the Parliament on December 20, classified both the FITUG and GTUC as being ‘virtually impotent’.
The sitting Government Minister made those assertions after being grilled by Opposition Members of Parliament over his justification for allocating $24M to the little known ‘umbrella body’ Guyana National Cooperative Union Limited (GNCUL), while FITUG and GTUC were only allocated $500,000 each.
Both Unions in a joint letter to Minister Scott said that his remarks were ‘distasteful and disturbing’ taking into consideration the importance of the labour movement and by extension workers of Guyana and are calling on the Minister to clarify/apologise, provided that his comments are not reflective of the Government’s position on the Trade Unions.
See full contents of the letter below:
Dear Minister,
Re: Calling workers’ organisations impotent
We noted, with alarm, various media reports about, what we strongly view as a most distasteful and disturbing remark, about our organisations – the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) – during the deliberations of the Committee of Supply in the Parliament on December 20, 2016.
This most incredulous labelling by you of our organisations as “impotent” begs the question whether this is the level of regard that the Government has for the labour movement and by extension the workers of Guyana.
As Minister, it is hoped it has not escaped attention that workers represent a most decisive force in our country. We wonder, whether your remark, as a representative of the Government, inadvertently conveys a clandestinely held view of the Administration with respect to the trade union movement.
The distasteful comment further opens speculation as to whether your utterance which is clearly contemptuous of a major stakeholder in this society with a constitutional right to exist – has informed your Administration’s decision to dismantle the Ministry of Labour, which is relegated to a department, headed by you.
We are disturbed by the continuous frontal attack on workers in view of their value to this nation’s development. For clearly a message is being sent by you, and it is hoped not representative of the Government, that there exists no regard for the workers of this country.
We call for clarification or an unequivocal apology if your utterance is not that of the Govemment’s position of the workers we represent, and where it may be important to remind you they pay your salary from their toil and sweat, and in many instances, are left with what is not adequate.
Yours faithfully,
General Secretary’s
FITUG and GTUC
I must agree with Mr Scott , let me put it this way those who claim to represent the workers from these two organisation are impotent , and over the years have shown that . let us begin the conversation.
Another one this fool should be fired immediately this is another incompetent APNU stooge–like some many others including the head .