There is a tendency to downplay the importance of ideology especially in the context of globalization. The thinking behind this perception is that the role of labour is becoming increasingly insignificant, given the impact of technology, in particular information and communication technology which, it is argued, is transforming the nature and role of labour in the production process. Some even spoke of the ‘disappearance’ of the working class as a consequence of the corporate nature of the production process.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth of the matter is that the class character of production and the production process have not changed even though it can be argued that the rate of exploitation of labour through the extraction of surplus value is not as pronounced as it was during the early days of the industrial revolution.

There is in fact a close correlation between class and ideology. A society in which the ruling party embraces a working class ideology is more inclined to adopt and implement programmes and policies that benefit the working people. Conversely, a country in which the propertied class or the monied class occupy the seat of power is more inclined to pursue and promote a policy in which the rich benefits.

Guyana, under the PPP/C administration, is perhaps a good example of this fact. Under the previous PNC administration, the working people and their trade unions were virtually emasculated and played a peripheral role in the affairs of the state. There was a deliberate attempt to marginalize the role of unions, in particular those that were perceived to be unsupportive of the administration.

I recall vividly the days when workers were coerced under the threat of dismissal to participate in rallies and May Day activities organized ostensibly by the Trade Union Council, but with the full involvement of the Ministry of National Mobilization. For those who may not remember, the Ministry of National Mobilization was fused with that of the Office of the General Secretary of the PNC which had as its main objective that of mobilizing people to attend Party activities and rallies in order to create the façade of ‘popular’ support for the ruling party.

Those were the days when trade unions were expected and coerced to pledge loyalty to the PNC. Those unions which refused to do so were victimized and harassed. A number of ‘paper’ unions were created to deny the more militant unions representation in the Trade Union Council. Regrettably, the pattern of representation has not changed in any fundamental way, with the smaller unions given disproportionate representation in the executive of the Trade Union Movement. The main sugar union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Worker’s Union (GAWU), was denied representation commensurate with its numerical strength, despite the fact that it is the single largest union in the country. It is not by accident that the Union was never in its long and militant history given an opportunity to be at the helm of the TUC, even though its membership is substantially more than the combined strength of some of the more established unions.

It is this stubborn refusal by the TUC to democratize the labour union that is responsible for the schism that now obtains in the labour movement. The Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUG) made up of some of the largest and most militant trade unions, including the Guyana Agricultural and General Worker’s Union, the Clerical and Commercial Worker’s Union, the National Association of Clerical, Commercial and Industrial Employees and the Guyana Labour Union, has opted to have its own May Day rally as a form of protest over the undemocratic nature of the TUC and its leadership.

This is not to say that the dynamics of the labour union are not undergoing some significant changes. The working class is today becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the TUC is not living up to its expectations as an effective umbrella body. Perhaps the most telling manifestation of this reality is the breaking of ranks by the Guyana Labour Union, former affiliate of the PNC and which until recently had as its honorary president the leader of that Party. Today, the GLU, one of the oldest unions in Guyana, is now part of the FITUG and has openly distanced itself from the PNC.

In a sense, history was created this May Day when for the first time in decades the TUC May Day Rally took place outside of the National Park. It is indeed indicative of the changing mood of the labour movement that saw for the first time a rally organized by FITUG taking place at the National Park, which was seen at one time as the exclusive preserve of the TUC. The fact that the FITUG rally was well attended by a wide cross-section of the working class is further proof that the working people are becoming increasingly intolerant of unions that are weak and unresponsive to their class interests.

The situation is made even more difficult by the pro-working class character of the ruling PPP/C administration which has been doing everything possible to upgrade the living and working conditions of the working people, despite the harsh economic realities both internationally and locally.

As mentioned earlier, the face and character of the labour movement is undergoing some significant changes. A new trade union dynamism is taking place in which the working people are asserting themselves in ways that could leave some of the traditional unions behind.