Combat March/May 2016

Issue#2 Volume#37

Combat Voice of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

EDITORIAL:

The Unity of the Working Class and Labour’s Charter of Demands Workers’ Day 2016 was indeed historic and significant. While it offered the Guyanese working class an opportunity to pause and reflect on their gains as well as the tasks and challenges which lie ahead, Labour Day 2016 was noteworthy in that it saw the coming together of the major trade union blocs – the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC). The 2016 celebrations, for the first time in many years, were jointly observed. Standing on a common platform, Labour Week (April 24 – May 01, 2016) started with a wreath-laying and tribute activity to pay respects to the Father of Trade Unionism in Guyana, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, and culminated with a singular rally and march on May 01, 2016.

March 16 to May 16, 2016

“...let us strive for a just society where people, not profits, are of primary concern”

- GAWU President’s Labour Day 2016 address

The GAWU sees this as a significant development for the labour movement, and a promising prospect for the Guyanese working class. Our Union – whether at Conferences, Congresses, Labour Day Rallies and other occasions – has always called for, and advocated, unity among the Trade Unions of Guyana. In our view, a united workers’ movement is an important ingredient to further the cause of the workers.

While Labour Day has come and gone, the GAWU is pleased that the collaboration and co-operation between the FITUG and the GTUC are continuing. The two (2) bodies have worked out a charter of demands which will guide the relationship in the coming weeks and months. The demands include the return of, and respect for, Collective Bargaining where Trade Unions exist; honouring the High Court decision to re-issue letters of arbitration to the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated; crafting of a national Continued on page twelve (12)

Introduction On behalf of FITUG, I greet all workers here on this important red-letter day of the international workingclass. We join the millions in some 80 countries who, like us, are celebrating this day and reflect on their history, their ongoing struggles and their future.

This year, we pleasingly acknowledge that our two (2) union blocs stand united in celebrating Labour Day. This is an important milestone in our history. Hopefully, it is a new beginning to bring about enduring unity at the

Labour Day resolutions

Their arrival, their legacy

“...the Labour Movement has a responsibility...”

FITUG pays tribute to H.N. Critchlow

- on page three (3)

- on page four (4) COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

- on page five (5)

- on page eight (8)

Trade Union level, based on a fair, just and democratic foundation. We, of FITUG, share the view that unity is essential in order to effectively safeguard our gains, expand our achievements, and realise our working-class aspirations. As a major segment of our population, the unity of our ranks will surely impart strength to our expectations that we be consulted - that we be involved on matters of national importance and the development of our country.

Continued on page two (2)

Unions opposed to LBI Estate closure - on page nine (9)

Save Wales Estate

GuySuCo Inc bluntly refuses to discuss...

- on page eleven (11)

and much more...

- on page ten (10) PAGE ONE

“...let us strive for a just society where people, not

Continued from page one FITUG sees good prospects ahead for strengthening this Unity. If our two (2) bodies have the will, it can surely happen.

Celebration of this day must unavoidably make us recall its origins. It has its beginnings in the fight for an eight (8)-hour work day. A major struggle in 1886, involving some 80,000 workers, took place in Chicago, USA. Several of the leaders of that struggle were sent to the gallows, scores were arrested and imprisoned, but that heroic struggle inspired the Second International, a Socialist Organisation, to adopt a resolution in 1887 for May 1st to be observed as International Workers Day. Since then, many Governments have approved May 1st as a National Holiday.

Here, the British Guiana Labour Union, under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, began the tradition of May Day way back in 1930, but it was not until 1958 that it was approved as a National Holiday.

International Situation As in recent years, May Day 2016 finds our world a troubled place, with grim realities. Under various pretexts, wars of aggression have laid waste several countries; millions have been uprooted from their homes and are facing starvation, and there is widespread destruction and death. More wars, it seems, are in the making. Poverty is claiming numerous victims by the day.

Developing countries have their resources looted. In Europe particularly, unbearable burdens are piled onto the backs of the workers by their ruling classes. Extremist forces have sprouted anew in some countries, while in others we see the promotion, even imposition, of a breed of so-called leaders that are subservient to the powers that be. And on top of all this, nature is sending us its dire warnings that our planet and humanity face severe threats.

It is instructive to note that the financial/economic crisis that has gripped the world since 2008 is still around.

It is a crisis that has left the working peoples poorer and the ruling economic elites richer. Oxfam tells us that the fortunes of the world’s sixty-two (62) richest persons are as much as the poorest half of the world.

Comrades, we cannot fail to empathize with those who unduly suffer - the poor, the victims of wars, conflicts COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

and starvation. On this May Day, let us extend a hand of solidarity to the exploited and the oppressed; to the working class, democratic, liberation and peace forces the world over. We express solidarity with Socialist Cuba, a dear friend of Guyana, and to the progressive and democratic forces of Brazil, Haiti, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia and other countries of our region, who are pushing back against the intrigues and destablisation activities of reaction.

Comrades, this May Day, we, in FITUG, are preoccupied with several matters which impact the work and life of workers, and indeed the working people generally.

Local Government Elections We take note that Local Government Elections were held at last; we wish to congratulate the newly elected councillors, and call on them to serve selflessly in the interest of their electors. There are many important tasks to attend to, and we expect the best from them.

Importantly, we also expect the establishment of the Local Government Commission without further delay, and full compliance with the Fiscal Transfers Act. Collective Bargaining On this Workers Day, we must again emphasize our displeasure at the disrespect shown to Collective Bargaining, a revered Trade Union/Employer engagement which was denied to the GAWU last year (2015). GuySuCo, a few weeks ago, unilaterally and bluntly told the Union that at no time it would offer an increase for 2015. The Government’s promise of Collective Bargaining with Unions in the public service has after almost one (1) year, not been fulfilled. Collective Bargaining helps to establish healthy worker-employer relationships. From this Trade Union platform, we urge the authorities to ensure that this commitment to Collective Bargaining is honoured.

National Minimum Wage Comrades, when the National Minimum Wage was implemented in 2013, we heartily welcomed it. It meant that no worker in the private and the public sector would be paid less than $202 per hour. But the rising cost-of-living and increased taxes, among other things, now require adjustments which we expect the authori-

ties to act on.

Crime Another vexing issue that is of concern to us, our communities and people from all walks of life is the crime situation. Clearly we are experiencing yet another spike in criminal activities. The violent dimensions and frequency of occurrences have raised concerns and anger at every level of society. We, of FITUG, believe the situation is very serious. We need assuring results, and the relevant authorities need to regularly review their tactics to contain, reduce, and eventually stamp out this menace from our midst.

Sugar Industry Comrades, in a matter of mere weeks, our nation will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our Independence.

This year will also be the 40th Anniversary of the sugar industry’s nationalisation. As we reflect on the journey we took as a nation, we should not leave out consideration of the sugar industry and its importance to the nation. With this in mind, we feel peeved that the industry’s workers are nowadays being treated in a disdainful manner.

It is lamentable that, for the first time in over three (3) decades, the thousands of workers did not obtain a wage adjustment. GuySuCo bluntly refused to discuss pay rise for 2015. Such refusal to engage in Collective Bargaining speaks volumes, and of course is a violation of laws, international conventions, and our agreements.

Not only sugar workers, but indeed all workers should express indignation over this development. Let us halt it before it spreads. Comrades issues, like Collective Bargaining require our collective action and effort. Additionally, the GAWU believes that the state has a duty to ensure that its employees in sugar are not unreasonably compensated especially since other state employees have deservingly benefited from a pay rise.

This Labour Day is an appropriate time to recall that thousands who are linked to Wales Sugar Estate have the threat of joblessness and greater hardships hanging over their heads. The closure decision is a step in the wrong direction, especially in the absence of any impact assessment and in view of the Sugar CoI’s explicit recommendation that no Estate be closed. Our Union urges the relevant authorities to act wisely, and not proceed to close PAGE TWO

profits, are of primary concern”

Wales. We say put the well-being of our working people foremost in your consideration. GAWU also urges that a similar assessment be done with respect to the present operations at LBI Estate, where the consequences of closure for the workers are also great.

Comrades, the sugar industry’s state of health and performance are naturally of great interest to us. We believe the challenges the industry faces are not insurmountable. Sugar’s success will redound to the benefit of our economy and assure the employment of thousands of Guyanese. A key factor for success is GuySuCo’s ability to grow a sufficient quantity of good-quality canes. We have adequate land for that. And given today’s trends,

with good management, a satisfied labour force and innovations, the industry can certainly regain its profitable status in a short while.

The promising prospects suggest that the authorities must abandon consideration of closure and the state must reassure workers tangibly that it stands with them.

Conclusion Comrades, as we celebrate May Day 2016, we are mindful of the arduous path we travelled and the objectives before us. We still have many battles to fight. Today, bread and butter, security and democracy issues are foremost concerns. As workers, we need to be more

assertive in demanding our rights. We must be active, involved and united if we are to score more victories, expand on our gains, and attain our goals.

Conditions today call for our active engagement. Let us join with the working-peoples of the world to usher in a new day for us and for mankind. We seek a world order which is founded on peace, ecological responsibility, social and economic justice, and is free of oppression and exploitation. In Guyana, let us strive for a just society where people, not profits, are of primary concern.

At this time, comrades, FITUG sends May Day greetings to all our workers; indeed, to all Guyanese.

On Labour Day 2016:

Workers call on Government to support the Sugar Workers call for the erection of Joseph Henry Industry Pollydore Statue

We, participants of this May Day being held at the National Park, Thomas Lands, Georgetown on this 1st day of May, 2016 ,are:Conscious: That the nation’s sugar industry, the oldest economic endeavour in our country, remains a significant employer, a foreign exchange earner and provides social stability in many communities; Aware: That in the past, and nowadays as well, the industry makes a substantial contribution to Guyana’s and the people’s well-being; Also Aware: At times the industry had experienced challenges in the areas of production and pricing of its sugar; Condemn: The hasty decision to close Wales Sugar Estate, and in so doing will affect the employment of about 1,700 persons and put at risk the livelihood of some 800 cane farmers; Also Condemn: The imminent closure of the LBI Estate operations which, we believe, will result in an overwhelming number of the 850-person workforce being deemed redundant; Understand: That the industry has

COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

possibilities of establishing a refinery, a distillery and cogeneration units at two (2) or three (3) estates, as well as expanding the production of value-added sugar to augment its sugar revenue; Feel Certain: That with an able and competent management, a non-neglected workforce, and financial support at this time, the sugar industry can overcome its misfortunes; Resolve: That this GTUC/FITUG May Day Rally:1. Call on the Government of Guyana and GuySuCo to abandon their decisions to close Wales Estate and LBI operations; 2. Call on the Government of Guyana not to privatise part or all of the sugar industry; 3. Mandate the GTUC and FITUG to engage with the Government and stakeholders on matters relative to turning the industry around, and 4. Call on the Government of Guyana to provide adequate financial support at this time to enable the industry to overcome its challenges.

Resolved: That in recognition of the tremendous c ont r ibu tion made

by Joseph Henry Pollydore to the Trade U n i o n Movement in Guyana, the Caribbean Region and internationally; and for his steadfast and continuous efforts to bring about unity in the Trade U n i o n Movement in Guyana. in order that the Guyanese workers would reap the Social, Economic

and Cultural benefits that their efficent and dedicated labours have been producing and continue to produce for the development of this nation of ours, that workers assembled here on May Day in this 50th yearof the achievement of Independence unanimously agree that a statue of Joseph H. Pollydore be made and be placed in a conspicuous place in the city of Georgetown, so that all may continuously reflect on the work of this great man and honour him for his selfless service to the Trade Union Movement.

PAGE THREE

GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis, on Labour Day 2016, says:

“...the Labour Movement has a responsibility to protect the gains that the workers have

As we mark Labour Day 2016 in this 50th year of the nation’s independence, the Labour Movement has a responsibility to protect the gains that the workers have acquired over the years, and advance the cause of the building on our achievements. In whatever way we celebrate, everyone needs to be reminded that nothing was given to us, we have fought several battles and the results are today seen.

Eight-hour work day and 40-hour work week were fought for and won by the trade union. One-man-one-vote and internal self-government were made possible by this movement. Independence and republican status were realised because the politicians of that time embraced the workers’ programmes and struggles.

Those who sit in the National Assembly and Executive are reminded they owe their presence there to the movement.

When Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham and others came onto the trade union and political scenes in the 1940s, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow and other labour colleagues had already begun the struggles for one-man-one-vote and internal self-government, since 1926.

This nation is being reminded of some of the achievements of the labour movement, even moreso that efforts are intensifying at treating us with contempt and wanting to put us on the fringe of society. When the movement saw the need to fight universal adult suffrage and selfgovernment, these efforts were informed by the principle of the right to self-determination and representative leadership.

So let me seek to advise those who are engaging in conduct tantamount to that of the colonial authority, where the people were considered subjects of the crown. that representative leadership means when one is elected by the people he or she is in service to the people.

Brothers and sisters, let me repeat: Representative leadership means when electCOMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

ed by the people you are in service to the people. And where leadership in Guyana, both with the political parties and trade unions, is built on the principle of representation, the people and workers must hold their leaders accountable to be in service to them.

Today, the labour movement takes this opportunity once again to remind the political parties about the manifestos they put forward to the electorate to be elected to office: when elected, this document constitutes a contract with the people. Labour expects the honouring of the APNU+AFC manifesto by this group which has Executive responsibility for the nation equally as the PPP’s manifesto, due to the fact that the party has secured seats in the Parliament, the nation’s highest decision-making forum.

The groups must find commonalities in their manifestos to work together, move the country forward, and serve the people who have elected them to represent their interests. Where this Government has been elected to do better than its predecessors, it is expected that the business of the State will be conducted within the confines of the Guyana Constitution, laws, universal declarations, charters, conventions, and time-honoured principles; and citizens will be treated with dignity and respect.

And this brings me to addressing the matter of collective bargaining, which is upheld in the breach. The right to collective bargaining is protected in Article 147 of the Guyana Constitution. It must be respected like all rights are, which is in the here and now. The government is called on to commence negotiations for wages and salaries with the Guyana Public Service Union. This negotiation has nothing to do with the work of the Public Service Commission of Inquiry. The postulation by Government that wages and salaries negotiation is hinged on the inquiry breaches Section 23 (1) of the Trade

Union Recognition Act. This Act says that once a Recognition Agreement exists the employer has to treat with the union in good faith. There is nothing, including a commission, that legally supersedes this law. This administration is called upon to engage in wages and salaries’ negotiation with the GPSU, the recognised union for public servant workers. It is time to bring an end to the more than a decade contempt for the law and workers’ rights by government, as the employer.

The nation’s teachers have negotiated an agreement with the government of a PPP administration. This package includes duty free concession for motor vehicles, debunching of salaries, and other issues.

It has come to the Guyana Trades Union Congress’ attention that members of the APNU+AFC administration are informing the teachers’ representatives that the agreement with the PPP administration was a campaign ploy, and this administration is not obligated to honour it.

Let me put these officials on notice: Once an agreement exists with a government or any institution, though the actors may change, that agreement stands.

The Government of Guyana is the employer of teachers in the public education system, and so long as an agreement exists between the Government and the Guyana Teachers Union, it matters not which political group assumes the seat of government; unless the two parties agree to any change, that agreement remains valid, and must be honoured.

To matters relating to the military: there are constant accusations against members of the Police Force that they are involved in unethical conduct in the discharge of their duties. Instead of seeking to address the root cause(s) contributing to unethical behaviour, officers are castigated and demonised. Yes, there are rogue officers in the midst, who should be identified and dealt with consistent with established

disciplinary standards, but let me tell you this as trade unionism- I can say without fear of contradiction that our military is underpaid and work under dangerous and hazardous conditions. Poor remuneration is a factor that contributes to our officers, including the good ones, taking a top-up from the public.

And given that the politicians paid themselves astronomical increases under the pretext that this will minimise corruption on their part, so too must our men and women in uniform be paid. The public sector workers, teachers and military must demand that the same barometer used to determine salary increases for the politicians be used for them. If this government wants a corruption free public service, teaching service and military service, as they pay themselves to avoid being corrupt, they must pay workers likewise, so they, too, will avoid being corrupted.

Now for the economy. There seems to be an absence of a coherent national development policy. As President Granger pronounces on the Green Economy, let it be known that Labour is clear in its understanding that the Green Economy is built on three pillars. These are: Sustainable Development, Environment and Labour Policy. Not with the intent to disappoint anyone, but the green economy does not mean making the environment green, wearing green, and painting things in green; the green economy means that every economic activity the state and people are involved in must satisfy basic ILO standards and national laws.

For instance, workers cannot be cleaning drains and streets without appropriate protective gear. The government cannot be building the pavilion and other areas in Durban Park with artisans working in rubber slippers, no safety hats or gloves, and not paying NIS. These are violations of the laws and ILO Core Labour StanPAGE FOUR

acquired over the years, and advance the cause for the building on our achievements”

dards, and the government is called on to have these corrected.

With attention now to the sugar industry, it is reminded that this industry is state-owned and belongs to the people of this country. The GTUC has been addressing the state of affairs in the industry for years via press releases, conferences, May Day rallies, and held engagement with the workers, particularly at the Wales Estate, where myself and Brother Witter participated in rallies earlier this year. This matter borders on universal principles, and shall be supported on this premise.

As the government speaks about social cohesion and inclusivity, the GTUC wrote to the Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, earlier this year, as it relates to proposed closure of the Wales Estate.

GTUC recommended that a mechanism be put in place to involve the unions in the sugar industry, the Region 3 Regional Democratic Council and the neighbourhood democratic councils that the

THEIR

closure will impact on, and other stakeholders. The congress also requested a meeting with the minister.

After months, Minister Holder sent the GTUC a report prepared by GuySuCo that has nothing do with the matters under which the meeting was requested.

Since the government is talking about social cohesion, national unity and inclusionary democracy, Wales provides the ideal opportunity to effectively commence dialogue and engagement to realise what the government says it wants for the society.

The GTUC was taken aback by the APNU+AFC administration’s response to the sugar unions’ questions about the closure of LBI. To respond that the process of closure started under Bharrat Jagdeo administration, when that administration is known for its mismanagement of the industry and the attendant problems suffered today, this government should have known better than to hide behind the decision made by a man whose re-

ARRIVAL,

May 05 has been officially designated as “Arrival Day”, which brings into focus the arrival of Immigrants to Guyana. Importantly, the day affords us the opportunity to reflect also on British colonialism, the slave system, and the indentureship policy that followed it.

May 05 is generally associated with East Indian immigration and their indentureship to the then British Guiana, beginning in May 1838. Our history acknowledges that other immigrants were brought to this land – the Madeiran Portuguese in May 1835, the Chinese in 1853, as well as a few other ethnicities during that phase of colonialism. We gather from the research done on this period that the colonialists also brought labourers, from Malta, Ireland, Germany and England. These Indentured labourers as with the system of slavery, were brought to do the back-breaking work on the sugar plantations.

As indentured labourers, they were forced to live in atrocious conditions, often symbolized by the cramped, derelict ranges to collective living which we know as logies. An inhumane relationship existed between them and the plantocracy.

COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

cord on the industry is disastrous.

As we look across to the bauxite industry, what is currently taking place is government collusion with the employer, the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), against its own citizens.

The impasse at BCGI and posture of the government is indicative that a solution consistent with the rule of law is not being pursued. The court ruled in 2012 for the reissuing of letters to commence the arbitration process between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union and the BCGI, but the ministry continues to refuse to issue these letters.

The refusal by the APNU+AFC government to honour the court’s decision leads one to question the government’s motive.

They who today form the government, when in opposition, supported a motion in the National Assembly condemning the PPP government for not resolving the matter. Even when this government is empowered by the court to act, it is failing to do so and thereby standing in con-

THEIR

Some accounts put those who came from India under the indentureship system at 240,000 between 1838 and 1917; quite significant for that time.

These labourers, like the slaves, were linked essentially to sugar. Their history in intertwined with the history of sugar. Today, descendants from those times are still linked to the industry, with many, even in this 21st Century, still facing harsh conditions and threats to their livelihoods, as presently indicated by developments regarding Wales and LBI Estates.

The immigrants were all mere producers of wealth for the plantocracy of the British Empire, in the process of which they endured heart-rending suffering and exploitation. In time, off-springs of the immigrants and indentured labourers moved into the professions, commerce and trade and agriculture. They made a major contributions in the struggles for freedom, in the struggles for democracy and in the various tasks to build Guyana, which became their home and in which they have lived now for more than one hundred and seventy years.

Their religions, cultural expressions and values add to

tempt of the court. Yet, at the same time, they expect citizens to obey the laws.

GTUC stands in solidarity with workers throughout the length and breadth of Guyana, whose rights and freedoms are being denied, their place at the national decision-making table are being ignored, and attempts are being made to silence their voices. GTUC calls on the workers of Guyana - past, present and potential to stand up in this the 50th year of political independence and demand that their right to self-determination be respected; that elected leaders, be they in government or the trade union community, represent the interests of their constituencies consistent with the principle of representative leadership.

Let us not forget that massa day done.

We, the workers of this country, who started the struggle to end massa day, must vow to never roll over and allow massa day thinking and actions to continue. Solidarity forever! Solidarity forever! For the Union makes us strong!

LEGACY

our diversity and spiritual richness.

Our people, all of them, should take pride in seeing Guyana today as an independent country. In spite of the many challenges, they are being motivated by a deep interest in our all-round development to ensure dignity, decent living standards, and a sound foundation – economic and social primarily – for the generation that follows us.

On this “Arrival Day”, we remember our forefathers and the pains they withstood as they reached out for a better life. Several generations separate us from them.

Since then, many changes have occurred that impact our life today. Still, though, the journey towards steady improvements in our lives, to consolidate our nationhood, to forge unity and to build a just and prosperous country, continues.

In our observation of this 5th May, let us do so confident that our aspirations will be realized.

GAWU joins with all Guyanese to celebrate, once again, Arrival Day. PAGE FIVE

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DILMA ROUSSEFF: Impeachment is coup d’état

I wanted first to tell you, and say also to all Brazilians, that the impeachment process was opened by the Senate, which ordered the suspension of my term of office for a maximum period of 180 days. I was elected president by 54 million Brazilian citizens, and it is in this condition, the condition of a President elected by 54 million, that I address you at this decisive moment for Brazilian democracy and our future as a nation.

What is at stake in the impeachment process is not only my mandate; what is at stake is the respect to the polls, the sovereign will of the Brazilian people, and the Constitution. What is at stake are the achievements of the last thirteen years: the gains of the poorest people, as well as the gains of the middle class; the protection of children; young people’s access to Universities and to Technical Schools; the value of the minimum wage; doctors attending to the population; the realization of the dream of home ownership with “Minha Casa, Minha Vida”. What is at stake is also the great finding of Brazil, the pre-salt. What is at stake is the future of the country, the opportunity and hope to move forward forever more.

Before the Senate decision, I want once again to clarify the facts and report the risks to the country of a fraudulent impeachment - a real coup. Since I was elected, the opposition, dissatisfied, called recount, tried to nullify the elections, and then went on to openly conspiring for my impeachment. They plunged the country in a permanent state of political instability, preventing the recovery of the economy, with the sole purpose of taking by force what they did not win at the polls.

My government has been the target of intense and incessant sabotage. The clear objective has been preventing me ruling and (they have) thus forged the environment conducive to the coup. When an elected president is revoked on charges of a crime he did not commit, the name given to it in the democratic world is not impeachment; it is a coup. I have not committed a crime of responsibility, there is no reason for impeachment COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

proceedings. I do not have accounts abroad, I never received bribes, I never condoned corruption.

This process is a fragile process, legally inconsistent; an unfair process initiated against an honest and innocent person. It is the largest of the brutalities that can be committed on any human being: to punish him for a crime he did not commit. There is no more devastating injustice than to condemn the innocent. Injustice is irreparable evil. This legal farce that I am facing is due to the fact that, as president, I never accepted blackmail of any kind. I may have made mistakes, but have not committed crimes. I am being judged unfairly by having done all that the law authorizes me to do. The acts I practised were legal acts, correct, necessary acts, acts of government. Similar acts were performed by the previous Brazilian presidents before me. It was not a crime in their time, and also is not a crime now.

They accuse me of having published six supplementation Decrees, six additional credit Decrees, and in so doing have committed crime against the Budget Law – LOA. It is false because the Decrees followed authorizations provided by law. They treat as a crime an everyday management act. They accuse me of delaying payments of “Plano Safra”, it is false. I have not determined anything about it. The law does not require my participation in the implementation of this Plan (“Plano Safra”).

My accusers can not even say which unlawful act I have practised. What act? Which act? Moreover, nothing was left to be paid, or any debt remained.

Never in a democracy, can the legitimate mandate of an elected president be stopped because of legitimate acts of budget management. Brazil cannot be the first to do this.

I would also like to address the entire population of my country, saying that the coup aims not only to revoke me, to remove a president elected by the vote of millions of Brazilians – direct vote in a fair election.

To dismiss my government, they want actually to prevent the execution of the program that was chosen by

the majoritarian votes of the 54 million Brazilians.

The coup d’état threatens to ravage not only democracy, but also the achievements that the population reached in recent decades. All this time I have been also a zealous guarantor of the democratic rule of law. My government has not committed any repressive act against social movements, against collective protests, against protesters of any political position.

The risk, the greatest risk to the country at this time, is to be directed by a government without any votes.

A government that was not elected by direct vote of the population (wants to be), a government that will have the legitimacy to propose and implement solutions to the challenges of Brazil - a government (that) may be tempted to crack down on protesting against them, a government that is born of a coup, a fraudulent impeachment; born of a kind of indirect election; a government that is himself a big reason for the continuing political crisis in our country.

So I tell you all of you, I’m proud to be the first woman elected President of Brazil. I am proud to be the first woman elected President of Brazil. In those years, I have exercised my mandate in a dignified and honest way, honouring the votes I received. On behalf of those votes, and on behalf of all the people of my country, I will fight with all legal instruments available to me to exercise my mandate until the end of my presidential term on 31st December, 2018.

Destiny always got me many challenges, many great challenges. Some appeared to me insuperable, but I managed to overcome them. I have suffered the unspeakable pain of torture, the agonizing pain of the disease, and now I suffer again the equally unspeakable pain of injustice. What hurts the most right now is injustice. What hurts most is to realize that I am the victim of a legal farce and politics. But I do not subside, I look back and see everything we did, I look forward and see everything we still need and can do. The most important thing is that I can look at myself and see the face of someone who, even marked by time, has the strength to defend ideas and rights. I fought my whole life for democracy.

I learned to trust the capacity for struggle of our people.

I have lived many defeats, and lived big wins.

I confess that I never imagined it would be necessary to fight back against a coup in my country. Our young democracy, made of struggles, made of sacrifices, even deaths, does not deserve it. In recent months, our people took to the streets. They took to the streets in defense of more rights, more advances. That’s why I’m sure that people will know to say no to the coup. Our people are wise, and have historical experience. Brazilians who are against the coup, regardless of party positions, to all of them I make a call: remain mobilized, united and at peace. The struggle for democracy has no end date.

It is permanent struggle which requires constant dedication. The fight for democracy, I repeat, has no end date. The fight against the coup is long, it is a fight that can be won, and we will win.

This victory depends on us all. Let’s show the world that there are millions of supporters of democracy in our country. I know, and many here know, especially our people know that history is made through fighting. And it is always worth fighting for democracy. Democracy is the right side of history. We will never give up, I will never give up fighting.

Thank you all very much.

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Escalations in a new Cold War

By Jonathan Marshall If the United States ever ends up stumbling into a war with Russia, the culprit will likely be NATO and the U.S. antiballistic missile (ABM) programme. The “military-industrial complex” that reaps hundreds of billions of dollars annually from support of those programmes got a major boost when NATO established its first major missile defence site in Romania, with plans to build a second installation in Poland by 2018.

Although spokesmen claim that the ABM network is aimed at Iran, Russia isn’t persuaded for a minute. Iran doesn’t have missiles capable of striking Europe.

That country is also abiding by its stringently verified agreement to dismantle programmes that could allow it to develop nuclear weapons.

The ABM system currently deployed in Europe is far too small to threaten Russia’s nuclear deterrent. In fact, ABM technology is still unreliable. Nonetheless, it’s a threat Russia cannot ignore. The ABM initiative, based on a combination of superior nuclear weapons, civil defence programmes, and ballistic missile defences, could allow the United States to “prevail” in a prolonged nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Such nuclear superiority, it was reasoned, could back up forces fighting in a future conflict around the periphery of Asia.

Ashton Carter, the US Secretary of Defense, champions the new missile shield in Europe. Moscow spokesmen have warned that Romania could become “smoking ruins” if it continues to host the new anti-missile site; threatened Denmark, Norway and Poland that they too could become targets of attack; and announced development of a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to penetrate the U.S. missile shield.

Secretary Carter responded this month by announcing new details of a $3.4 billion military buildup to support NATO’s combat capabilities. US military leaders say they are drawing up even bigger funding requests to send more troops and military hardware to Eastern Europe, and to pay for new “investments in space systems, cyber weapons, and ballistic missile defence designed to check a resurgent Russia.”

Speaking in February, 2016, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for an end to such confrontation, noting that “almost every day [NATO leaders] call Russia the main threat for NATO,

COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

Europe, the U.S. and other countries. It makes me wonder if we are in 2016 or in 1962.”

But stepped-up conflict comes as a godsend to the Pentagon and its contractors, who had faced plans for major cutbacks in funding and troop strength in Europe.

US and other NATO leaders justify their buildup by pointing to Russia’s allegedly aggressive behaviour. They conveniently neglect the blatant coup d’état in Kiev.

They also neglect the long and provocative record of NATO expansion toward Russia’s borders after the fall of the Soviet Union.

That expansion was championed by the aptly named Committee to Expand NATO, a hot-bed of neoconservatives and Hillary Clinton advisers led by Bruce Jackson, then vice president for planning and strategy at Lockheed Martin, the country’s largest military contractor.

In 2008, NATO vowed to bring Ukraine — the largest country on Russia’s western border — into the Western military alliance.

George Kennan predicted in 1997 that NATO’s reckless expansion could only lead to “a new Cold War, probably ending in a hot one, and the end of the effort to achieve a workable democracy in Russia.”

Last year, former Secretary of Defense, William Perry, warned that we “are on the brink of a new nuclear arms race,” with all the vast expense — and dangers of a global holocaust — of its Cold War predecessor.

Also, former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned that NATO’s plans to deploy four battalions to the Baltic States could result “very quickly in another Cold War buildup here, that really makes no sense for either side.”

Nobody knows where it takes us, and that’s the problem. It could take us all too easily from small provocations to a series of escalations. And given the tripwire effect of nuclear weapons stored on NATO’s soil, the danger of escalation to nuclear war is entirely real.

As foreign policy expert Jeffrey Taylor commented recently, “The Obama administration is setting the stage for endless confrontation, and possibly even war, with Russia, and with no public debate.”

Returning to the days of the Cold War will buy less security and more danger. As President Obama contemplates what he will say about the lessons of nuclear war in Hiroshima, he should fundamentally reconsider his own policies that threaten many more Hiroshimas.

Venezuela expands State of Exception Citing threats of foreign intervention

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expanded the country’s State of Exception’ in a bid to confront a deep economic crisis as well as national security threats posed by international right-wing forces.

The Constitutional State of Exception and Economic Emergency Decree will renew the powers granted to Maduro in January by the Supreme Court as part of an economic emergency decree, as well as authorize new ones with the aim of “protecting the people from the constant attacks of the national right-wing allied with the imperialist powers”.

Under the 60-day executive order, the armed forces (FANB) will amplify their role in combating organized crime and external threats, in addition to participating more actively in the distribution of food and medicine. According to the Venezuelan press, the FANB have also begun military training exercises.

The new decree will moreover strengthen the Local Production and Distribution Committees (CLAPs) charged with distributing food directly to households via communal councils.

Also included in the document is a provision to incentivize greater private sector participation in national production and allocate further state funding to guarantee supplies of essential goods.

As outlined in the Venezuelan Constitution, a ‘state of exception’ authorizes the government to temporarily suspend certain constitutional protections except those guaranteeing “the rights to life, prohibition of torture or solitary confinement, the right to due process, the right to information, and all other intangible human rights”.

The decreecomes after former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe recently made

comments calling for armed intervention in Venezuela.

“The [Venezuelan] army has to protect the opposition, or just think… Which democratic country is willing to put its armed forces at the service of the protection of the Venezuelan opposition? That tyranny doesn’t listen; that tyranny must be confronted with all of our energy,” he stated upon leaving the Concordia Summit at Florida’s Miami Dade College on Thursday.

Uribe is notorious for his close links to paramilitary death squads, and his government is linked to the “false positives” scandal. The latter saw the military execute thousands of Colombian civilians under the pretext that they were guerrillas, in order to receive financial benefits and promotions.

The former president also has close ties to the more radical factions of the Venezuelan opposition, including the far-right ex-student leader Lorent Saleh, who was extradited from Colombia and is being tried in Venezuela for his role in a terrorist plot to place bombs on key bridges and assassinate grassroots leftist leaders.

At the conference, Uribe was accompanied by a handful of other former heads of state, including Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, Bolivia’s Jorge Quiroga, Fernando de la Rúa from Argentina, Mexico’s Vicente Fox, and Andres Pastrana of Colombia.

Together, the ex-presidents signed a statement denouncing what they termed “economic, social and governance deterioration” in Venezuela and accusing the Maduro government of “developing actions of political persecution against members of the National Assembly and opposition leaders.”

PAGE SEVEN

FITUG pays tribute to Father of Trade Unionism in Guyana - by Seepaul Narine

A section of the attendees at the Critchlow wreath-laying activity on April 24, 2016, inset GAWU General Secretary, Seepaul Narine

I bring you greetings from the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). For us in the Trade Union movement - indeed, for all Guyanese Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow is an exemplary Guyanese whose work and legacy has done our nation proud while being a continuing inspiration to the Guyanese working-class particularly.

Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow stands tall as the most important figure in the birth and growth of the labour movement in British Guiana. The origins of the trade union movement are traced to a strike by water­front workers for increased wages in November and December 1905. This strike was led by Cde Critchlow, and it was his participation and role in this strike that catapulted him into the public eye as a workers’ leader. The 1905 strike clearly demonstrated to Cde Critchlow that there was a pressing need for a trade union in the country, then a British Colony.

At the beginning of the 20th century the social and economic conditions were atrocious, and workers were forced into strike actions to improve their lives. Following 1905, a number of strikes took place. One at the water­front in January, 1917 yielded a 10 per cent increase in wages, and a reduction of daily working hours from ten and a half hours to nine hours. A strike in December, 1917 yielded another 10 per cent increase in wages.

Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow became the undisputed leader of water­front workers and workers generally, but he soon paid the price when he organised a petition in 1917–18 for an 8-hour working day. The then Chamber of Commerce pressured him to withdraw his name from the petition. He refused to do so and was immediately fired from his job on March 1918, and black­listed from obtaining employment.

Being unemployed, he devoted his time and energies to the campaign for an 8-hour work day. In December 1918, he led a small delegation of workers to the Governor. After this meeting, he decided that the way forward was through a trade union, and he immediately started to make arrangements for its formation. The British Guiana Labour Union (BGLU), the first trade union in the colony, was eventually established on the 11th January, 1919. Critchlow had received support from all over the country and abroad, particularly from trade unions COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

in Britain.

Critchlow was employed on a full time basis by the union. He was Secretary/Treasurer, and later sought a seat in the Combined Court, the ‘parliament’ at the time. There, he opined, he could make political representations on behalf of workers. He never stopped being a spokesman for the workers, and publicised their grievances and demanded improved working conditions and better wages for them.

The employers saw the Union as a force aimed at fomenting industrial unrest, and issued threats to workers who were union members. Despite this, its membership grew rapidly, and the Union gained many improvements. One of the most significant achievements was legal recognition for trade unions, in June, 1921. This recognition was achieved with the support of the Colonial Office in London and the British Labour Party.

His experience in the workers’ struggle led Critchlow to the view that the established capitalist system was not beneficial to the working class. In December, 1930, in an address to members of the union, he called for workers to fight against capitalism, and to struggle for the establishment of socialism.

Despite this hostility, the Trade Union movement began to spread. By 1941, the British Guiana Trades’ Union Council (TUC) was established, with Critchlow as its first General Secretary. By 1943, 14 unions were affiliated to this umbrella body. Significantly, the TUC joined the World Federation of Trades Unions (WFTU), a courageous step at the time, given the budding Cold War atmosphere after the end of World War II. Notably, also, Cde Critchlow championed demands for the extension of the right to vote, so that all workers could participate in national elections. Some leaders of other unions also agitated for this cause.

In 1943, Critchlow was nominated by the Governor to represent workers in the Legislative Council. In 1944, he was appointed to the Executive Council, and served in this position until 1947. In the 1947 National Elections, Cde Critchlow contested and won the South Georgetown constituency. However, as a result of an election petition, his election was declared null and void.

For his outstanding public service, Cde Critchlow was awarded the medal of Officer of the British Em-

pire (OBE) in 1951. In the following year, he resigned as General Secretary of both the BGLU and the TUC. In 1957, a moving incident took place. It was May Day a contingent of workers on parade, led by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, saw Critchlow standing by his gate watching the parade going by. Dr. Jagan then broke ranks, and walked over to the gate and took him to march at the head of the parade. Later, on the demand of the workers, he was allowed to address the May Day rally.

We from the Trade Union Movement should recall that Cde Critchlow, serving as General Secretary of the TUC, ensured that May Day was observed annually by unionised workers with marches and rallies. He made regular demands, during his annual address to workers, for the day to be declared a public holiday, but this was not achieved until 1958.

As we reflect on and celebrate the life of this outstanding comrade and Guyanese, we from the FITUG take this opportunity to express satisfaction at the concerted attempts to forge unity within the Trade Union movement. We remain optimistic that the relations built in recent times will grow and strengthen, and redound to the benefit of the workers and people of Guyana.

We well recognize that unity among workers and their unions is essential to confront the challenges facing the working class’ in our country. We remain hopeful that unity can be realised. Disunity can only serve those who are enriched by the work done by workers. Unity, as history shows over and over again, serves the workingclass immediate and long-term goals. Let us hope that our unity cause is not undermined for partisan political objectives and expediency.

As we commence the observance of Labour Week 2016, the FITUG is concerned and worried over the rising unemployment in our country. We recall, not too long ago, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) stated that youth unemployment was as high as 40 per cent.

Yet, in view of this harrowing statistic, job creation is hardly being pursued. In fact, we see the ranks of the unemployed being swollen. In this regard, the planned closure of Wales Estate and the cessation of operations at LBI Estate; the reduction of investments; victimization, and the troubles within the rice sector come in mind.

We believe that at this stage of our development as a nation and people, this is a discomforting reality which can lead to greater worries and anxieties, and which our Trade Union Movement cannot ignore.

The FITUG believes there are many other concerns before us which require our attention. These concerns embrace economic and democracy issues. We, in FITUG, hold the view that our unity and our united efforts will make a sterling contribution to resolve these matters, which will redound to the interests of our working-people and their secure future.

The FITUG urges that, in our celebration of Labour Week, we, as a class within society should take account of the advances we have made since the time of Cde Critchlow, and keep before us also the challenges which still lie in our path. We believe that together we can overcome those obstacles and blaze a path for a better tomorrow – a path that can fittingly honour the memory of our working class hero Cde Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow.

Long live the memory of Cde Critchlow!

PAGE EIGHT

Unions opposed to LBI Estate closure

New York-based Guyanese oppose Wales closure in solidarity with workers and residents

The LBI factory in operation prior to its closure in May, 2011

Some months after the announcement that the Wales Estate would be closed at the conclusion of the harvest of the second sugar crop this year, the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), at a meeting with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) on April 12, 2016, announced that it was decided to have the operations of LBI Estate closed: that is, the Field Workshop, Mill Dock, Field Lab, Stores, and Administrative Offices; and that they would be subsumed by similar operations at Enmore Estate.

This was contrary to what was told to the Unions in 2011. Then, it was concluded that only the Factory of LBI Estate would be closed. The Unions were assured that other operations would remain intact. In fact, after May, 2011 the Field Workshop was enlarged.

Barefacedly, GuySuCo, once again in the managing hands of CEO Errol Hanoman, is misguiding the public that the Unions (GAWU and NAACIE), in 2011, had agreed to the integration of the East Demerara Estates, which meant the closure of the present operations of LBI Estate.

This fabrication was exposed by GuySuCo’s former Human Resources Director Jairam Petam, who was involved in the LBI Factory closure in 2011. He wrote recently: “Let me state, before outlining the details that expose the reality of 2011, that it was never the intention of the Company to close any operation beyond that of the LBI factory. It’s plainly misleading for the company to state that the ‘integration of the two estates was on in a haphazard manner, and as such was not properly implemented’, and that the integration process of the departments other than the factory started in 2011”.

GAWU and NAACIE, relying on the COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

notes of a meeting with GuySuCo held on March 04, 2011, have stated recently: “It is a company’ decision that no other job will be affected. LBI agriculture will remain as is. The power house will continue to function to provide power to GuySuCo Agricultural Research Unit, the other head office annexes at LBI, the residential compound, the administrative offices and the pump stations”.

At this time, it is yet to be known if the LBI cultivation, which employs hundreds of workers, would also be closed.

However, the already high unemployment level in our country, the progressive deterioration of the crime situation, the large number of workers and farmers from Wales Estate who are likely to be displaced following that Estate’s closure, and the ongoing lay-off of workers in the private sector are ominous developments in our country.

Since the LBI announcement, we have noted that about - according to the Coirporation - 325 workers who are within the bargaining units of GAWU and NAACIE will be affected by the decision. Another 500 workers are attached to the LBI cultivation. The Corporation is yet to advise on the future of the cultivation. The Unions and the Corporation, in keeping with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, are engaged in discussions towards mitigating the displacement of the workers. While the Unions will defend the workers interests and rights, they will proceed with regular consultations with the workers.

The Unions are convinced that the LBI decision, like Wales decision, is bad for the industry, and certainly will demoralize even further the workforce of the industry. One is the prompted to ask: are the present key managers up to the task of leading the sugar industry once again to profitability?

Workers and residents linked to Wales Estate in a protest march denouncing the closure decision

We, the people, supporters of Better Guyana, friends of sugar workers and the Guyanese Solidarity Movement-New York, gathered at this Rally at the Naresa Palace Queens, New York on March 27th, 2016, are alarmed by the reckless and undemocratic decisions being taken by the government that would ruin the sugar industries and the rural communities.

We find the announcement by government to close Wales sugar factory by the end of 2016 without any specific viable alternative, and the eventual dismantling of the sugar industry, mind boggling. As an employer, sugar is to Guyana what JFK airport, the New York transit system, and health aide and security employment agencies put together are to South Queens. Guyana without sugar is a catastrophe of epic proportions. Extreme poverty will envelope the estates and villages. The communities in the sugar belt will die a slow, painful death.

Despite the challenges, sugar is a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings is the largest employer in the country, and provides vital services and linkages to rural communities and to other productive sectors. Moreover, sugar has always been resilient, and there is no doubt that it can and will make a comeback, given a chance and the support of the administration, as President Obama did in the great recession with the auto industry in the US. The sugar industry has produced some of Guyana’s greatest sons and daughters, and we are convinced that dismantling of the industry is not in the best interest of

Guyana. We believe, too, that this golden jubilee year of Independence is not the time to announce the demise of the most important agricultural enterprise in the country. On this occasion, we should proclaim our determination to overcome our difficulties, not to announce our surrender.

We appeal to government to listen to the cries of workers and the voice of reason, and to commit to return the industry to its glory days for the benefit of all Guyanese. We urge government to:• scrap the closure plans of Wales and any other estate and adopt interim bailout measures • end the harassment of the Unions and negotiate in good faith with them.

• stop the discrimination in wage increase and benefits for sugar workers.

If Ministers of government and other public servants can get an increase, why not sugar workers?

• convene national dialogue with all the stakeholders in the industry unions, civic society, experts and government - regarding the situation in the industry.

• work for a consensus on the way forward for sugar.

We express solidarity and support for:• the struggle to save the sugar industry.

• the ongoing protest on the sugar estates • the sugar workers and their Unions defending their livelihoods.

We suggest that May 26th. be designated a National Day of Solidarity with Sugar.

PAGE NINE

Workers and residents remain steadfast in their struggle to

Save Wales Estate High Court orders GuySuCo to consult with GAWU and NAACIE

Wales workers and residents staged vigil activities protesting the decision to close the Estate later this year (2016)

Wales workers and residents remain unwavering in seeking the reversal of the callous, uncaring decision which will risk the livelihood of about 2,500 workers and farmers and their dependents. Those affected, including residents, will be forced to contend with economic deterioration, and many even with ruin, should the Wales Sugar factory and the 1,500 hectare cultivation be abandoned by the Government of Guyana. Vigil activities were held on April 07 and 26, 2016, representing another manifestation of the myriad actions seeking a reversal of the decision to close.

More workers sent on the breadline Some weeks ago, 67 workers had been denied continuous employment because the Estate Management deemed their work status as temporary. Another 105 have been deemed redundant, while hundreds of others are unaware of their fate, moreso when one takes into account that Uitvlugt Estate, having its own workforce, cannot accommodate them.

Suffice to say that the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) is disregarding the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, as it remains adamant in not engaging the Workers’ Unions – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) – in the process and procedure related to the retrenchment, etc of workers associated with Wales.

Court orders GuySuCo to engage the Union On May 06, 2016, the High Court ordered GuySuCo Inc to consult the workers’ Unions regarding the redundancy, deployment, etc of the workers arising from the decision to close Wales Estate. The order was made based on the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. The Unions, through their attorneys, argued that GuySuCo was in breach of statutory duty of Section 12(3)(b) of the Act, which requires in the instance of redundanCOMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

cy that the Corporation consults with the recognized Unions “on the possible measures that could be taken to avert or mitigate the adverse effects of such circumstances in relation to employment generally and the employees concerned”.

The issue dates back to January 20, 2016 when GuySuCo informed the Unions at a meeting of a decision to close the Wales Estate. So far, the state-owned Corporation has not kept its promise to inform the Unions of the new venture that will replace sugar cultivation and production, the names of the workers of the Wales Estate who will be redeployed to Uitvlugt Estate, and the names of the Wales Estate workers who will be rendered redundant.

While GAWU has been formally notified, on March

22, 2016, of the names of the employees who have opted for redundancy, in keeping with the Act, NAACIE says it has not received any such or similar correspondence.

The Unions said in court papers that GuySuCo’s alleged failure to consult amounts to “a flagrant violation and contravention of the Act which mandates GuySuCo to consult with the unions before any such or similar decision can be lawfully made.”

GAWU and NAACIE argued that if GuySuCo continues to fail to consult with their trade unions, the “workers are not receiving the best available option, terms and conditions.” They further contended that the right of Trade Unions to participate in negotiations involving employees and employer is a sacred and sacrosanct right, fought for and won by workers after centuries of struggle.

GuySuCo Inc engaged in acrobatics on Wales Estate Dear Editor, Reference is made to the news story on page seven (7) of the Guyana Chronicle edition of April 19, 2016 entitled “105 workers opted for severance not fired – GuySuCo raps GAWU”.

The article went on to say “GAWU has alleged…105 workers were fired”. Premised on an allegation, the article then quoted GuySuCo, which said in a statement “this release by GAWU is the epitome of GAWU mischievousness, and can be construed as being provocative…”.

The truth is that GAWU has not ever said or written that 105 workers have been fired from Wales Estate.

GAWU and NAACIE, through their press statement of April 14, 2016, referred to:- “105 workers are to be made redundant” which is identical to what GuySuCo wrote to the Union on March 22, 2016, in which it said:- “105 workers would be made redundant”.

With someone from either GuySuCo or the Chronicle substituting “fired” for “redundant”, GuySuCo has, in turn, objection and, true to form, points an accusing finger at GAWU. The Union considers this as mischievous and deceptive. With the clarity offered, the Union

is expecting a public correction by GuySuCo. Also, the GAWU is calling on the Board or the proper body in GuySuCo to assess those who make media releases which are unfounded and which embarrasses the leadership at the helm of the Corporation, which is beset by persistent troubles.

The Chronicle, in the story, also stated that:- “The Wales Estate will not be closed, GuySuCo said in its attempt to set the record straight”. Isn’t the non-operation of the Wales Sugar Factory and a cessation of cane cultivation a closure of the Estate? GuySuCo is seemingly embarking on some type of acrobatics regarding the positions – the closure of Wales Estate and “the Wales Estate will not be closed”.

It is worthy to note that the Corporation failed to inform the public why it keeps violating the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, which requires that it interacts directly with Officials of the Union about the workers who are identified for redundancy, etc.

Seepaul Narine General Secretary - GAWU PAGE TEN

GuySuCo Inc bluntly refuses to discuss 2015 wage/salary claim - workers resolved to continue struggle

GAWU and GuySuCo Inc meeting on April 05, 2016 to discuss the Union’s fringe claims for 2015

After a long period of resistance, the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) at last concluded discussions with our Union – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) – with respect to the fringe benefits’ claims submitted to the Corporation along with a nine (9) per cent pay rise claim since March 03, 2015.

The Corporation, however, holds steadfast in not engaging the Union in Collective Bargaining on the pay rise claim.

On the fringe benefits, after the conclusion of two (2) meetings held on April 05 and 15, 2016, GuySuCo conceded to five (5) weeks rather than four (4) weeks of annualized leave to field foremen/forewomen with no less than fifteen (15) years’ service; trench cleaner operators are to receive one (1) rain coat per year; and a pair of long boots was granted to scrappers, a category of workers who work along with the mechanical cane loaders or Bell Loaders.

Had it not been for the Union’s persistence, the fringe

As we celebrate Labour Day 2016, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is pleased to extend militant greetings to all our workers; indeed, to all Guyanese. May Day is one of the few holidays observed internationally, and is always a reminder of those of the working-class who have made invaluable contributions to better workers’ lives. It is also the occasion for the working-class to acknowledge its common objectives and recognize the need for solidarity in the eversharpening struggles for a peaceful world and a better life.

Our Union is pleased to take part in this year’s activities, which are being held unitedly by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) after many years. The main rally in the city is one of the several activities which have resulted from the improved collaboration and co-operation between the two (2) workers’ bodies. We are optimistic that this positive development in relations between FITUG and the GTUC will be strengthened in the period ahead.

Labour Day offers another appropriate occasion to express our concerns over some policies being pursued of recent, and their effects on the working people of the country. Here we refer to the uncalled for cessation of the Education Grant to school children; the removal of subsidies from Old Age Pensioners, the significant increases in licences and other fees; the increase in certain taxes, as well as the introduction of new taxes. These and other things should be reviewed with a view to restore those benefits and rescind those measures which will certainly further raise the cost-of-living.

In recent months, hundreds of workers have lost their jobs both in the public and private sectors. We must recognize their plight, and cannot ignore the fact that many from the public sector lost their jobs unwantedly or due to political considerations.

It is timely to recall that, not too long ago, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) advised that youth unemployment was as high as 40 per cent. These new hundreds will swell the jobless ranks and certainly raise the percentage statistic.

claims might have remained unaddressed. Strike actions and picketing exercises by workers, the Union’s propaganda in reference to the breach of the Constitution of Guyana, the violation of ILO Conventions nos 151 and 98, the disregard of the Collective Labour Agreement, and the non-adherence to the Trade Union Recognition Act had an impact in pressing the Corporation to engage in discussions on the fringe benefits claim.

With respect to the pay rise claims, the struggle continues.

Another phase of struggle is expected to take place during the harvest of the second crop, which commences sometime in July this year. Initial strike action has been taken by the factory and field workshop workers of Skeldon Estate on May 09, 2016. Sugar workers are concerned that, again this year (2016), the Corporation may seek to deny them a wage rise. Motivated by such a concern, among others, workers would surely want to continue their intermittent protest actions, started in the second crop last year (2015) and which continued into the first crop this year. GAWU wants to guard jealously the right to Collective Bargaining, and does not want it to be taken away, as was the case until 1989, when it was restored in the sugar industry.

Those who hold the reins of the beleaguered sugar industry should work diligently with the workers and the Unions toward placing the industry on a sustainable path once again. Therefore, the continuing disrespect of the laws, the violation of the Agreement, and the disregard of established practices and norms should be discontinued by GuySuCo. The GAWU looks forward to the restoration of respectful industrial relations between the Union and the Corporation.

GAWU salutes the Guyanese working class

COMBAT - MARCH 16 - MAY 16, 2016

It is opportune also to again draw attention to the threats of more unemployment and possible ruin that await numerous cane farmers and self-employed persons with the planned closure of Wales Estate and the cessation of operations at LBI Estate. We believe that ,at this stage and level of our development, these are ill-considered measures. Those who will be directly hit are primarily workers and farmers. This must be of concern not only to GAWU, but to the united Trade Union movement, which hopefully will be taking up in earnest these matters after the May Day celebrations.

The Trade Union movement - indeed, the workingclass and other working people have a number of matters to reflect on, discuss, and to seek to resolve. With the unity being forged, we are optimistic that we can give, in a principled way, the necessary leadership to meet the challenges before us.

The GAWU is sure that, together, in our unity, we can overcome obstacles in our way, and the Trade Unions can make a major contribution towards a new day and a better society for our people.

PAGE ELEVEN

The Unity of the Working Class and Labour’s Charter of Demands Continued from page one (1) programme for jobs’ creation; creation of a Labour and Economic Council; establishment and honouring of a mechanism to address the sugar industry that includes the involvement of the recognized Unions; creation of a Foreign Investment Commission to address the telecommunications and natural resources sectors; review the tax concessions granted to Companies; review of State and NIS pensions; establishment of a Ministry of Labour, and respect for the rule of law.

For Unions, Collective Bargaining has climbed to the top of their agenda in recent months. The generally accepted Trade Union/Employer practice which was fought for and won by the workers and their organisations must be safeguarded.

It should be noted that the framers of the Guyana Constitution respected this achievement by enshrining it in Article 147. It means, therefore, that where a recognition agreement exists every employer, including Government, has to treat with the recognised union. It follows that Government, as an employer, must engage the Unions in state institutions and ensure where Unions exists all employers do likewise.

Labour’s demand for development of a national programme that would lead to job creation is underpinned by the Unions taking their rightful place at the decision-making table, and by an understanding that employment and economic well-being are linked to the reduction of poverty and other social ills.

It is important to recognise that the pres-

ence of a Labour and Economic Council presents an avenue whereby labour is involved at a prominent level, and brings into discussion and decisions labour’s principles, as well as contribute to protection of our natural and human resources.

Such a council can develop programmes that should examine investments, raise concerns, and address issues in order to ensure the best for our people and country.

As it relates to the sugar industry, the Charter of Demands subscribed to by the FITUG and the GTUC is not oblivious to the fact that certain unwelcome consequences would flow if restructuring of this industry is not properly handled.

Thus it pointedly called for the involvement of the recognized Trade Unions.

The Government of Guyana has the benefit of Article 13 of our Constitution, which mandates involvement of the people in management and decision-making processes of the state, which affect their well-being. Instead, there is, primarily, lip service paid to concepts such as social cohesion, unity, and inclusionary democracy; and nothing, or hardly anything, is being done in structured ways to include those outside of the inner circle to deliberate on the people’s well-being.

2016 finds the Labour Movement taking sound steps towards unity. The Charter of Demands is an important outcome.

There is now a need to consolidate the emerging unity. The times and the challenges before our working people dictate that unity is essential to go forward and to inspire united, militant struggles for economic justice and a brighter future.

Surely, there is need for unity and struggle.

7% pay rise for BEV workers The 350-person workforce of BEV Processors Inc, a fish processing company, has obtained a pay rise of 7 per cent. The Agreement between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Company was approved on March 31, 2016 and it is retroactive to January 01, 2016.

Aside from their usual Annual Leave, the Company’s employees are also appreciative that the monetary Annual Leave allowances have been increases as follows:-

First crop production reaches 56,822 tonnes sugar

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One (1) – three (3) years’ service from $14,500 to $18,000 • Four (4) – seven (7) years’ service from $16,500 to $20,000 • Eight (8) years’ and over from $18,500 to $22,000 The Union and the Company also agreed to engage the Hand in Hand Insurance Company which operates the Company’s medical scheme with a view to getting a number of benefits approved.

A sugar workers loading canes he would have cut in punts (barges) to be transported to the factory in order to be processed into sugar

The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) concluded its 2016 first crop with a production of 56,822 tonnes sugar falling short of its 80,006 tonnes sugar target by 23,184 tonnes. This year’s (2015) first crop output was the second lowest in the last five (5) years. Production recorded from the various Estates was as follows:Estate Skeldon Albion Rose Hall Blairmont Enmore Wales Uitvlugt Total

Target 9,699 21,692 10,783 12,439 8,594 8,531 8,268 80,006

Production 5,067 14,443 5,911 11,878 5,933 5,664 7,925 59,822

Difference 4,632 7,249 4,872 561 2,661 2,867 343 23,184

% achieved 52.2 66.6 54.8 95.5 69.0 66.4 95.8 71.0

GuySuCo in a press release issued on May 11, 2016 said “the shortfall in the First Crop was due substantially to the El Nino weather conditions which severely dried out the canes, drastically constrained cane growth and led to reduced sugar content”. While account of the El Nino must be noted, the sunny weather also enhanced the sucrose content in the canes resulting in the tonnes canes/tonnes sugar ratio being better than budgeted.

Clearly, GuySuCo did not have sufficient canes to meet the set target. Moreover, the target was inflated. Interestingly, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates made over 95 per cent of their targets notwithstanding the super drought condition. The Corporation is now preparing for the harvest of its second crop which is expected to commence by mid-July, 2016 and is targeted to produce 159,243 tonnes sugar.

“Capitalist barbarism, crisis and Imperialist wars,

or socialism”

COMBAT IS A PUBLICATION OF THE GUYANA AGRICULTURAL & GENERAL WORKERS UNION (GAWU) 59 HIGH STREET & WIGHTS LANE, KINGSTON, GEORGETOWN, GUYANA, S.A. TEL: 592-227-2091/2; 225-5321 , 223-6523 FAX: 592-227-2093 EMAIL: GAWU@BBGY.COM WEBSITE: WWW.GAWU.NET