Capitalist development easily removes gains made by workers-FITUG

Berbice: Members of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) affiliates – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) –participated in a spirited march yesterday which traversed several streets starting from the New Amsterdam Market Square in Berbice and included Main, Philadelphia and St Anns Streets.

The march was one of many worldwide actions inspired by the large number of unions affiliated to the World Federation of Trades Union (WFTU) in more than 100 countries. The diverse actions worldwide includedstrikes demonstrations, protests and gathering outside Parliaments, factories and other workplaces including buildings of multinational Corporations.

WFTU’s International Action Day was based on the slogan: “Food, Clean Water, Books, Medicines And Housing Is A Right For All The Workers And ThePeoples”. It chose this content for the International Day of Action on October 03, seeking to rally forces against the unpopular policies of governments, against the big business interests, against monopolies which result in the working peoples of many countries dying from hunger;having to sleep in the streets; millions of pupils not having text books, sick people having no access to medicines.

The situation in the world is aggravated by the multinationals and monopolies that plunder the natural resources of countries. They destroy the living standards of workers and exploit the poor farmers and self-employed people.

Further, the systemic crisis that has gripped the developed capitalist world since 2008 has pushed untold millions across the world into the ranks of the poor and jobless. With the continuing crisis that has beset these countries those ranks are increasing daily.

FITUG sees how the capitalist development, based on profits before people, can easily and readily remove the gains made by workers over many years and after many struggles.

FITUG fully supports the position reiterated by the WFTU that a country’s resources should go primarily to its people’s well-being and the country’s development thrust. Workers’ organisations need to ensure this is so.