The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) on Thursday expressed its disappointment in the Labour Department, as it noted that workers can no longer count on the entity to address it issues objectively.
The Union’s distrust of the Labour Department comes one day after the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) noted it plans to resume strike action, this time on a larger scale with the support of its sister Unions, after Labour Minister Keith Scott imposed an arbitrator in the wages between GTU and the Education Ministry.
“From the FITUG’s point of view, the actions of the Ministry, and more particular the Minister, does very little, if anything, to repose workers confidence in the Department of Labour and more so the Administration’s concern for the plight of our country’s working-class. Indeed, it seems, the workers can no longer count on the Labour Department as an ally.”
The Union added that it is a “disappointing turn of events, especially when we take into account its proud past of standing with workers to ensure that they are respected. The reversal of sorts is yet another clear demonstration of the Administration’s dim regard for the country’s working people.”
According to the Union, Minister Keith Scott would have over stepped his boundary by introducing a Chairman for the arbitration panel to resolve the ongoing issue of salary increase for teachers. Moreover, FITUG deemed the minister’s action as a manifestation to undermine teachers and the GTU.
FITUG argued that the move made by the minister is “dismaying and utterly reprehensible” since the very minister is responsible for upholding workers’ rights. “The Minister, from our point of view, is far removed from his boundary and has gotten himself in uncharted waters from which he has, in our view, no justification to enter. It seems clearly that he has misunderstood his role and is causing serious damage in its wake,” the union asserted.
It was on that note that FITUG contended that the Government should urgently engage in damage control and seek to correct the several missteps it has made. The Administration should in fact give serious consideration as to whether it wants to continue to have Minister Scott as its front man on this issue recognising the serious damage his actions have done to the credibility of the Department of which he is the political head, the trade union added.
