Unions in Guyana must understand that hefty pay raises are tied to renegotiation of the current oil contracts that gave away the kit and caboodle. The PNC gave away the national patrimony, and the PPP is OK with that. The Department of Public Information just released an article essentially saying that the PPP is adamant about not renegotiating the contract, and that those of us who want renegotiation can go to hell. We are pumping oil but the bulk of the profits go to the oil operators, not the people of Guyana. The independent papers – Stabroek News and Kaieteur News – have been saying that over and over. In all of this malpractice of foreign companies raping our resources, some union leaders are busy playing Opposition politics. One prominent union leader in the TUC writes more on anti-PPP topics than on collective bargaining and health and safety of workers, at a time when a deadly virus is ravaging the world and over 1,000 Guyanese have lost their lives. Some unions even took the Government to court to stop vaccination efforts and lost, as expected. This group with a clear political agenda versus a workers’ agenda is unabashedly anti-Government.
In the midst of all the disruption of the economy and the government engaging in deficit spending through heavy borrowing, the Government has proposed a 7% increase, which is higher than the 5% usually imposed in violation of the collective bargaining agreements. Both major parties have done enough to undermine the collective bargaining process over the years. While the 7% is way above the usual 5%, it is not enough given the inflation and high cost of living driven by Covid and the emerging oil economy. (In North Carolina, USA, where the Government has a surplus of US$ 6 billion – the Guyana budget for 3 years – the state employees barely got a 2.5% increase. If ever we got a 5% or 7% increase, most people would think we died and have gone to heaven. In North Carolina, it is illegal for public sector workers to unionise and we do “collective begging” not “collective bargaining”). Given the need to double workers’ pay to secure a “living wage,” and the multitudinous needs for massive infrastructural works, improvements in health, education, housing, social welfare, etc., Guyana needs more income from its oil. It is pathetic to see the Minister of Natural Resources saying “Critics who say we will get nothing from oil sector are reckless, uninformed.” Why doesn’t the Minister tell the nation how many billions the oil companies made versus the US$600 million earned by Guyana? And the US$600 million is probably already spent because we are engaged in deficit spending and heavy borrowing!
To the extent that the unions – both TUC and FITUG – are silent about renegotiation of the oil contracts, to that extent they have betrayed the working people of Guyana who will continue to “suck salt” for a long time to come. What happened to the working class, anti-imperialist ideologies that served the unions well in the past? Nation, why are all the unions silent on renegotiation of the oil contract? Without renegotiation, we will never have enough money to fix our country. I just visited Guyana and 80% of the roads are potholed and needs repaving. Garbage is everywhere, the grass in trenches are overgrown, and when they dig the trenches they drop the dirt right on the parapets to be washed in again. I have never seen such ongoing stupidity. The needs are enormous. Instead of the unions uniting and lobbying the Government to keep its promise to renegotiate so we can get more income from oil, our leaders are distracted by whether we should buy black pudding from Indian or Black sellers, whether Black Bush farmers have a right to sell at the Plaisance Market, and whether the Minister of Sport (who is doing a very good job) should have said the Black community needs good role models. And while we squabble among ourselves on these silly things, the oil companies are dancing and carting away our oil wealth because we have some dunces for leaders. Wake up people! Take a stand for renegotiation! Your pay increases depend on it!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall