…PNC’s business
Trade unions were formed to agitate for workers’ rights at the turn of the century in Europe, responding to the socialist “exploitation” critique of capitalism – especially by Karl Marx. They were a safety valve to stave off the explosion – such as what had taken place in Russia in 1917. Our first trade union was formed just 2 years later by Critchlow and by and large, slowly achieved incremental improvements for their charges.
Since 1979, however, there’s been a kickback by free-market-oriented governments— led by Reagan in the US and Thatcher in the UK – and trade unions started to lose their influence. Now you’d think that trade unionists would be spending their time pressuring the powers-that-be to take care of workers’ travails, wouldn’t you?? After all, they’re paid by those poor slobs. Take this fella, Lincoln Lewis, who’s the General Secretary of one of the two umbrella trade union bodies in Guyana.
In the neo-liberal dispensation that was imposed here, under Lewis’ watch, trade unions were severely decimated. And he did take up cudgels on behalf of some groups of workers – especially against the PPP government – whether they were directly involved or not. Like when the GPSU struck in 1999, or the workers at Rusal during the last five years, or for bauxite workers at Linden and their pension fund. In the latter instance, he accused the PPP of committing ‘economic genocide’ against – not workers – but African Guyanese!!
The trade unionist Lewis had transmuted a “workers’” struggle into a “racial” struggle. It’s not coincidental that all the unions he’d agitated for were all dominated by African Guyanese. But a strange thing happened to Lewis after the PNC took office in 2015. While, to his credit, he criticised the PNC-led government for their callousness for firing 7000 sugar workers — and even pointed out the POLITICAL implications — he’s studiously avoided labelling the firings as ECONOMIC GENOCIDE!!
But yet, from his OWN statements about the PPP and bauxite workers, a far stronger case can be made for so describing the tragedy in the sugar belt. After all, these mostly-Indian workers had absolutely no alternative employment prospects. Isn’t “genocide” for the (Indian-Guyanese) goose the same as “genocide” for (African-Guyanese) gander? But of recent, in the wake of the NCM, his behaviour has become even weirder. Suddenly, he’s forgotten trade union concerns, even in African-dominated areas – such as the GPSU’s complaint against the PNC Govt for ignoring their salary increase demand.
All his energies are geared to attacking the PPP’ refusal to legitimise to the PNC’s illegal squatting on their office by returning to Parliament.
You’d think he was on their payroll, wouldn’t you??
…a battered reputation
But it’s possible that Lewis might’ve been preoccupied from carrying out his trade union duties, ‘because evidently, he wasn’t just completing MEDICAL studies, but also SPECIALISING in Psychiatry!! Responding to one columnist who’d questioned his stance on the PNC’s obduracy on the NCM – in addition to insisting that the PPP was equally to blame for the present mess, he’d also insisted 33 wasn’t a majority of 65! – Lewis opined categorically:
“I’ve always had the inclination to believe he was sick. The content of the instant letter leaves no shadow of a doubt that he is indeed sick; a very sick man. It is obvious that the previous exchange between him and me has left him emotionally battered and psychologically bruised”! And how did he arrive at this diagnosis?? He described the clinical symptoms he detected:
“So he (the columnist) comes out in a frenzied flaying of hands, screaming and frothing at the mouth, throwing abuse left, right and centre, thinking he will take his opponent by surprise. But, once again, he enters the ring recklessly”.
Dr Lincoln Lewis?? Later for trade union business!!
…the leftist rout
Another leftist government that supported Maduro bites the dust in South America!! Columbia and Brazil have now been joined by Bolivia after Evo Morales stepped down after massive protests.
A hint to Beneba…