| – President Many have not yet come to accept the fact that gender equality is faster becoming a reality; but for members of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, this fact seems very hard to swallow.In an interview with President of the GTUC, Gillian Burton, it was disclosed that the past year has been a year of stalemate for the union.GTUC President, Mrs. Gillian Burton “For the past year, since I took up office as president, it has been a year stalemated with a host of internal wrangling…What has happened is that, on becoming the president,Nick Perry Packers Jersey, being first female who would have come on board, and I came with a lot of vision, especially being a young person, there was opposition,” Burton said. She added that,Tony Gonzalez Falcons Jersey, while being on the outside, she was provided an opportunity to see what needed to be done.“From the outside looking in, you would have wanted to see changes. I had envisioned healing the wounds and ridding the union (of) the fractionalization,” Burton lamented.Despite her vision for the movement,Grady Jarrett Falcons Jersey, Burton said, she was greeted with the fact that most of the male folk were not ready to hand over the mantle to a woman; and, most importantly, many of the issues which needed urgent attention and needed to be resolved were placed on the back burner.“In order for the union to move forward, persons need to get accustomed to having a woman at the helm of the trade union movement. They need to embrace the fact that gender equity is now a reality.”Burton further said that while she is more than ready and willing to make a change, there is no cooperation from those who are in a position to give support and advice.“The Witters, the Duncans and the Lewises of the trade union movement need to step aside and give young minds a chance to make a change,L.C. Greenwood Steelers Jersey,” Burton noted.She added that the elders within the movement are not willing to depart from the ancient mode,DeAngelo Williams Steelers Jersey, and they continue to hold to the fact that business should be as usual, with no fruitful discussion and mediations.“Instead of cooperation and looking at ways of moving forward, we had to grapple with the battle for supremacy and the hijacking of meetings by persons who should now stand back and give guidance,Artie Burns Steelers Jersey,” Burton lamented.She said that persons need to embrace the fact that a woman is now at the helm of the movement.Nevertheless, Burton said, with her leadership, 2009 should be a better year.“We are prepared to deal with the issue of bringing back militancy to the movement, because we have found that workers were disillusioned about what was going on; we found that they were not updated on issues related to them,” the GTUC president noted.She added that the movement will also focus on ridding the union of the fractionalization, which is killing the movement.“Labour must be able to speak with one voice,Steve Grogan Patriots Jersey, so that recognition can be given to the fact that the tri-partite process which is being tabled can take place between the Government,Mohamed Sanu Sr Falcons Jersey, the private sector and labour movement.”The GTUC president added that the trade union movement needs to reposition itself so that it would be able to lobby more effectively for issues affecting workers.Burton said that, in the new year, her organisation will be exploring avenues which would put the union in a better, more economically financial position.“Now, with the withdrawal of the Government’s subvention to the Trade Union Congress and the Critchlow Labour College, we need not sit down and wait for handouts from the Government, but to put ourselves in a position where we can finance our own projects,LeGarrette Blount Patriots Jersey,” Burton stated.She said that the union will soon be holding discussions with CLICO of Barbados about long and mid-term investments. These investments, she said, are expected to see major returns in US dollars.The union will also be refurbishing its premises and upgrading its boardroom to a state-of-the-art facility that can be rented in order to generate funds for the union. |
