Better packages discussed at May Day meet with Granger

…as President commits to labour movement

President David Granger has underscored the significance of the labour movement’s yearly May Day observance, and has indicated that the APNU/AFC Administration is committed to the labour movement in Guyana.
The Head of State, who was treated at the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) on Monday, told Guyana Times he was indeed pleased to be part of this year’s May Day festivities.
GTU president, Mark Lyte, told this newspaper that the Guyanese Head of State met with members of the GTU at its Woolford Avenue Headquarters on Monday, and issues relating to the package proposals for teachers were discussed. “Presently, we still have our outstanding proposal, and President Granger was here and this was raised with him; so we need to see some movement with that,” Lyte told <<Guyana Times>>.
The Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) has expressed hope that the nation’s teachers will reap the benefits of the GTU multi-year package proposals for salaries and additional benefits, which remain outstanding. The GTU president expressed that, once the proposals are implemented, teachers can begin to garner the rewards before next year’s Labour Day celebrations.
“[The] multi-year package allows for (payment of) the increases that we believe our teachers deserve, and the other non-salary benefits that will go a far way to ensure our members will enjoy a proper year. I hope that we can have that agreement signed off and the benefits can begin to roll off for our teachers,” he remarked.
According to the GTU President, some 400 teachers have participated in this year’s rally. “Despite the fact that the Guyana Teacher’s Union did not move all of its members from all of its regions, we still had a very significant turnout of over 400 persons (from Georgetown, West Demerara and the East Coast). We believe that the trade union movement needs to reunite, so that we can be a stronger force; and I believe we have achieved that,” he noted.
Lyte welcomed the joint May Day Rally, and stressed that more needs to be done to push the labour movement forward.

“This observance is really significant, following up on last year, (when) all the trade unions joined in one major rally which set the tone for this year. It’s very significant, and I want to commend the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) (and) FITUG (Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana) for ensuring that this was possible. We member units of the various trade union bodies are supportive of this activity, and we wish the people across Guyana a blessed May Day.
“While we’re together, we will be able to move the hand of our employers to ensure that our needs are properly satisfied,” the GTU president added.
Guyana’s 2017 May Day observances began on Sunday last with a church service at the St James-the-Less Anglican Church on David Street, Kitty, Georgetown. A wreath-laying and tribute ceremony to pay homage to the ‘father’ of the trade union movement, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, was later held at the forecourt of the Parliament Building.
International Worker’s Day, or Labour Day, which has roots in socialism, is held on the first day of May every year in most of the territories across the world. May Day is often observed by the staging of rallies and demonstrations.