The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) extends Emancipation Greetings to all Guyanese as we commemorate the 187th anniversary of the end of chattel slavery. This moment is not merely a date in history – it is a call to remembrance, a reminder of struggle, and a demand for vigilance.
Our ancestors fought, bled, and endured unimaginable horrors to break the physical chains of slavery. But true freedom is not only measured by the absence of shackles – it is measured by the presence of justice, dignity, and the ability to determine one’s own future. Today, we honour that legacy by guarding what they fought for.
The fight did not end in 1838. In 1926, the trade union movement launched the struggle for One Man, One Vote – daring to challenge a colonial system that denied the majority of Guyanese the basic right to choose their leaders. That movement paved the road to universal suffrage and the constitutional right we now have to cast our vote freely and fairly.
We must also reflect on the wider struggle. As former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, the transatlantic slave trade was an unparalleled global tragedy. It robbed millions of life and liberty and left behind a legacy of suffering and inequality that continues to echo in the present.
On this Emancipation Day, GTUC reminds the people of Guyana that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We cannot afford to take our rights for granted. We cannot allow division, fear, or foreign manipulation to undo the progress we have made. The right to vote, to speak, to live with dignity – these must be defended with the same passion that once tore down the plantation walls.
Let us move forward together, with courage and clarity, to build a Guyana where no one is left behind.
Aluta Continua. The struggle continues. Victory is still ahead.
