University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/56026 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. 'MW.II Union Rivalry, Workers' Resistance And Wage Settlements in the Guyana Sugar Industry: 1964-1994 Nanda K. Gopaul Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of PhD in the Warwick Business School, at the University of Warwick. Submitted: April 1996 ~-------..-. - Abstract This PhD thesis is a study of the changing social and industrial conditions under which sugar workers in Guyana have worked, and the responses of workers and unions to these changes since 1964. It makes extensive use of original trade union and employer archives, other public and private documentary evidence and interviews with workers and union and state officials. The narrative and analysis focuses on the experience of union rivalry and the impact of state interventions in wage settlements. The sugar industry has several different unions with differing political and ideological positions, .and there have been numerous instances of union rivalry and workers' discontent over union representation. Inadequate wage offers have often led to disputes, involving antagonisms between workers and management but also between workers and their union. In practice the majority of wage settlements have resulted from the intervention of a Commission of Inquiry or Arbitration Tribunal. In the late 1970s the state's imposition of wage levels provoked numerous struggles, often of national proportions, and led to legal challenges by workers and one of their unions which resulted in the restoration of collective bargaining. Such developments have had major implications for the national labour movement. The thesis considers each of these facets of worker and union experience, and thus develops an analysis of the relationships between union rivalry, workers' resistance and wage settlements in the context of highly politicised trade uruorusm. In particular it discusses the implications of trade union affiliation to the major political parties and shows the extent to which political affiliation helped to destroy the collective bargaining process. It argues that while trade unions are involved in political struggles, they ought not to be affiliated to political parties, since this is likely to compromise the independence of the labour movement and weakens the collective bargaining process. Dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of NAACIE­ the champion of workers' rights in Guyana. 1946- 1996 "Striving Towards Unity" TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents 1 Abbreviations 6 List of Tables 10 Acknow ledgements 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 14 The Conceptual and Analytical Issues 14 Outline of the Thesis 18 Guyana in Perspective 19 The Government 22 The Economy 24 Overview of the National Labour Movement 27 The Birth of the Labour Movement 28 1984: The Turning Point 39 Government Take Over of TUC: The Birth of FITUG 42 TUCIFITUG Unity Talks 45 Class, Race and Politics in Guyana 47 1 CHAPTER 2 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN GUY ANA 54 The Role of Sugar in Guyana's Political Economy 56 The Division of Labour in the Sugar Industry 60 Why the Sugar Industry? 65 The Research Methodology and the Data Collection Process 68 Interviews with Workers 68 Documentary Sources 71 The Researcher as Active Participant 72 CHAPTER 3 THE RECOGNITION STRIKE OF 1964: CHOICE OF UNION MEMBERSHIP, UNION RIVALRY, AND NATIONAL POLITICS 76 The Tension Heightened 83 The Governor Intervened 93 Analysis of the Strike 95 Conclusion 99 CHAPTER 4 RECOGNITION AND WAGES STRUGGLES 1964-1976 102 Commission of Inquiry 105 NAACIE Attempts at Unity 111 The Absorption of Three Unions 115 2 The Fresh Wave of Struggles: Field and Factory Workers 119 The Arbitration Tribunal 121 Arbitration Tribunals Under Pressure 125 MPCA on the Course of Defeat 128 A New Initiative 132 Lessons from the Strike 138 The Final Assault 140 The Demise of the GFF & SU: The Foremen's Struggles 1976-1992 143 Conclusion 147 CHAPTER 5 THE 1977 ANTI SUGAR LEVY STRIKE: THE UNIONS, THE STATE AND POLITICAL ALLIANCES 149 Previous Attacks on Workers 158 Attempts at Settling the Strike 162 An Analysis of the Strike 169 The Government Response 173 An Analysis of the Dispute Procedure 175 The Consolidation of Unions 178 The GovernmentffUC Agreement 1977 181 Conclusion 186 3 CHAPTER 6 CHALLENGE TO WAGES IMPOSITION 189 Dishonouring the 1977 Agreement 189 Wages Imposition 192 Struggles Over the Increment 195 Complaints to the ILO 200 The Teemal Case 203 The Labour Amendment Act 204 The Labour Amendment Act Challenged 208 The Final Encounter 215 Conclusion 218 CHAPTER 7 RESISTANCE AMIDST REPRESSION 221 Economic Collapse 223 Analysis of Food and Other Protests 227 Rationalisation Process 234 IMF Medicine at Work 237 The FITUG Day of Protest 242 Conclusion 248 CHAPTER 8 THE 1989 ANTI-BUDGET STRIKE, ITS AFTERMATH AND THE RESTORATION OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 255 Response to the Budget 256 4 Continued Pressure 260 The Government Response 261 FITUG's Indecision 266 The Ending of the Strike 274 Workers' Rebellion 277 Wages Increases 1989-1994 283 Bookertrate in the Driving Seat 284 Workers' Views of Booker Tate 285 Wage Increases Under Bookertrate 288 The 1994 Negotiations 292 Conclusion 300 CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION 304 Guyana and Post-Colonial Industrial Relations 307 Bibliography 317 5 Abbreviations Trade Unions in Guyana AMM Association of Masters and Mistresses ATGWU Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union CCWU Clerical and Commercial Workers Union CWU Communication Workers Union FITUG Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana FUGE Federation of Unions of Government Employees GAWU Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union GBSU Guyana Bauxite Supervisors Union GEU Government Employees Union GFFSU Guyana Field Foremen & Supervisors Union GLGOA Guyana Local Government Officers Association GLU Guyana Labour Union GMWU Guyana Mine Workers Union GMFBSA Guyana Mortgage Finance Bank Staff Association GNCBSA Guyana National Cooperative Bank Staff Association GPSU Guyana Public Service Union GPTWU Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union GSDA Guyana Sicknurses and Dispensers' Association GSESA Guyana Sugar Estates Supervisors Association GTU Guyana Teachers Union GWISBU Guyana & West Indies Sugar Boilers Union 6 GWU General Workers Union MEU Medical Employees Union MPCA Man Power Citizens Association NAACIE National Association of Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Employees NUPSE National Union of Public Service Employees PAG Pilots Association of Guyana PEU Public Employees Union PIAWU Printing Industry and Allied Workers Union SECA Sugar Estate Staff Association SMFWU Saw Mill and Forest Workers Union TUC Trades Union Congress UAAW Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers UGWU University of Guyana Workers Union Other Terms and Organisations AFL/CIO American Federation of Labour/Congress of Industrial Organisation API Annual Production Incentive BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CAGI Consultative Association of Guyanese Industries CCC Caribbean Conference of Churches CCL Caribbean Congress of Labour CPTU Council of Progressive Trade Unions (Trinidad) DLM Democratic Labour Movement 7 ERP Economic Recovery Programme FIET International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees GBA Guyana Bar Association GDP Gross Domestic Product GNP Gross National Product GHRA Guyana Human Rights Association GLP Guyana Labour Party GUARD Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy GUYSUCO Guyana Sugar Corporation Limited ICFTU International Confederation of Free Trade Unions IMF International Monetary Fund IRD Industrial Relations Department ILO International Labour Organisation LBI La Bonne Intention NCC National Crisis Council PAC Political Affairs Committee PCD Patriotic Coalition for Democracy PIRC Party Industrial Relations Committee PNC Peoples National Congress PPP Peoples Progressive Party PR Proportional Representation QC Queens Counsel SC Senior Counsel SPA Sugar Producers Association TUF The United Force 8 UG University of Guyana UK United Kingdom USA United State of America USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics UWI University of the West Indies WFfU World Federation of Trade Unions WPA Working Peoples Alliance 9 List of Tables No. Title: Page: 1.1. Unions Affiliated to the TUC 53 2.1. Sugar levy 57 2.2 Breakdown of Workers, Reps. Interviewed 71 4.1 Wage Increase 123 4.2 Recognition Poll Results 141 4.3. Breakdown of Results 142 6.1. Strike Statistics 200 7.1. Strike Statistics 228 7.2. National Strikes' Statistics 1969- 1994 250 7.3. Summary of Sugar Strikes 1977-1994 251 7.4. Strikes in the Bauxite Industry 1977-1994 252 7.5. Sugar Production Records: 1948-1975 253 76. Sugar Production Records: 1976-1994 254 10 Acknowledgements When I came to Warwick in January 1994, I had absolutely no knowledge of handling a typewriter, much less to do work on a computer. All my other colleagues were versatile in the use of computers and it was clear to me that I had to get into the act as quickly as possible, since it has become a useful tool to academics. A friend, Radica Bedesee was kind enough to lend me her portable computer so that I could get much needed practice, for which I am very grateful. Several of my colleagues assisted me during my apprenticeship period on the computer. I wish to thank all of them, especially Rachel Alien, Tom Cooper, Ali Emrouznejad, and Graham Saddler for their help and generosity. I have also been assisted in the typing of the first completed chapter of my thesis by Ivy Chen and would like to record my sincere appreciation to her for the head start on my typing. Regrettably, I had to cope with personal health problems as well as the death of my brother and during this period I received tremendous encouragement, friendship and support from all my colleagues, friends and supervisors.