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| File: Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad |
The work stoppage that began in the oilfields in southern Trinidad spread rapidly into the sugar belt to become the first major attempt at uniting oil and sugar workers.
The Labour riots of 1937 resulted in turmoil and the colonial administration labelled the populist trade union leader Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler a threat to national safety.
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| Tubal Uriah Butler |
It was his friend and labour comrade, Adrian Cola Rienzi (Krishna Deonarine) who shielded Butler and kept him in hiding until the Colonial government betrayed Butler with a promise of safe passage to testify at a commission of enquiry into the events of June 1937. Once he came out of hiding they arrested and jailed him.
June 19, 1937 is also a dark day in our history because it is the anniversary of the brutal murder of a policeman named Charlie King who was sent to Fyzabad to arrest Butler. In a speech to supporters Butler asked whether they would allow the police to arrest him. They responded by turning into a murderous mob that attacked and killed the police officer.
That historic place, Charlie King Junction, where labour gathers every year to celebrate, stands as a reminder of both the triumphs and successes of the labour movement over the decades since 1937 as well as the dangers of a mob mentality that turns men into beasts.
Today labour is in upheaval again not because of working conditions and the state of labour relations, but because some leaders and union executives have a specific anti-government agenda driven by parochial interests and political ambition.
The bitterness is so intense and so personal that OWTU's president general Ancel Roget has told labour leaders who do not share his views that they are not welcome to join the celebrations in Fyzabad, while at the same time declaring that Labour Day is about unity, democracy and social justice. The contradiction defies logic.
Just two days ago Abdulah, under pressure from Roget and others, announced the withdrawal of the MSJ from the governing coalition. He also said he is quitting as a government senator.
Abdulah told reporters on Sunday he had to leave because "For them (the government) it is not about changing the system of governance but rather changing faces because it is “we time now”. We do not see this approach to politics and governance being altered in the near future."
Yet Abdulah, just weeks ago, was singing the praises of the same government and the same leaders he is now condemning.
In his born again labour incarnation he has squandered the best opportunity labour has ever had of sitting at the seat of power and participating in the governance. The mask he now wears has robbed labour of something precious and made Abdulah a puppet of men like Roget.
However the bitterness is not shared by the government. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has reaffirmed her administration's pro-Labour policy and pledged to continue to create better conditions for all.
Abdulah is masking his true intentions behind flowery rhetoric, saying he wants to have good government "that takes into consideration and seeks the well-being of every citizen regardless of race, religion, age, gender, party affiliation or geographical residence...(that) will lead to the greater happiness of all; the reduction in the feelings of dispossession, disenfranchisement, hopelessness, cynicism, exclusion and even anger that are all too prevalent throughout the society."
If he had not been blinded by Roget and company he would have noticed that he was already a part of such a government and that there was no need to look beyond where he was.
Roget and the OWTU leadership dragged him over and demanded that he leave the government because they never wanted to seek the interest of workers and the dispossessed. Never mind what Abdulah will tell you, they cared only about their partisan interests and their political agenda, which includes efforts to destabilise and bring down the government.
They have refused to ask the tens of thousands of workers of the country what they want. For them democracy is defined by a few men in blue shirts who plot to put hurdles in the way of progress to hurt the very workers they claim to represent.
That is why they wanted to shut the state energy company, Petrotrin, and cause irrecoverable economic damage to coincide with the opposition motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister. The coincidence is stunning.
On May 24, 2010 something remarkable happened in Trinidad & Tobago. The people endorsed a partnership that was honest enough to say in advance "we will not agree on everything, but we will serve you."
That coalition of interest that took office was the first government that represented ALL the people from the poor and dispossessed to the privileged elite. And the woman who led that movement has reaffirmed that her government will protect the "rights, enhance the benefits and improve the comfort of workers."
At the same time she has made it clear that her agenda goes beyond narrow, partisan interests. "We must, however, govern fairly and responsibly in the interest of the entire nation," she said. "This means that as we govern, the greater good must never be sacrificed for political expediency or partisanship."
It is a message that every citizens needs to heed.
In the past two years Kamla has demonstrated that leadership is not about confrontation and bullying but about dialogue, compromise and consensus. The People's Partnership remains strong because the woman who leads it understands that the people are the government and she is in office only to serve them.
It is time that labour remove the mask and follow the same path. If it does, that would be a quantum leap forward for workers and for Trinidad & Tobago.
Jai Parasram | 19 June 2012
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