President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Friday outlined a vision of worker empowerment that stretches well beyond the wage packet, calling for Guyanese to own stakes in the country’s major assets and retire with dignity in a society built to support them.
Speaking at a Labour Day brunch hosted on the lawns of State House, President Ali said the government intends to create specific mechanisms and incentives that allow workers to invest in and own shares in major national projects, including the gas and fertiliser plants currently in development.
Hundreds of workers were in attendance, including nurses, sugar workers, members of the public service and other individuals employed within the public sector.
“Social justice is when we develop programmes that are across the board,” he said, “whether it’s the old age pension, the children uniform grant… We have to… carve out… a specific programme through which our workers can own things.”
The president also turned his attention to what he described as an often-overlooked dimension of the labour movement, life after retirement. He told workers that retirement represents the true measure of a society’s commitment to its workers.
To this end, he highlighted ongoing investments in old-age pensions, retirement infrastructure, dialysis care, cancer care, diabetes management, and recreational facilities as part of a broader effort to ensure workers retire in comfort.
President Ali noted that Guyanese living abroad are now travelling specifically to register for the non-contributory old age pension, which he cited as evidence of the programme’s reach and value.
The president cited the soon-to-be-launched Guyana Development Bank as a vehicle for workers to transform ideas into businesses and diversify their income beyond structured salaries.
He also highlighted how investments in infrastructure are generating real wealth for working families, but stressed the need for unions to collaborate with workers to “deploy this additional value.”
“We love our nurses, our doctors, our medical technicians, our farmers, every single one of our… public servants, our private sector employees,” he expressed. “But this is a moment in our history when what is ahead of us requires… us understanding the moment before us and positioning ourselves in that moment of transformation.“
With the cost of living likely to rise due to the ongoing US-Iran war, the president urged Guyanese workers to avoid becoming complacent.
Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Keoma Griffith, said the labour movement in Guyana remains strong, even six decades after independence. He encouraged the audience to celebrate this resilience.
“I want to say that… we will continue to have and create systems for open and social dialogue because it’s important for us to sit together,” he affirmed.
Also attending the event were leaders of labour unions, including the Guyana Agricultural and Workers Union (GAWU), Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and others.
Government services, including free eye-testing and other essential services, were also available at the brunch. (Article and Photos: Department of Public Information)
