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[Handwriting: 25/9-1/10 Conference
Opening at Queen’s College
haven’t decided on a date for cultural center
Broadcast Thurs – Voice of Union
8/8/78 meeting
PSU
CCLO
GTU
61405
Guyana Trades Union
Congress
Cde Turry
[illegible word]
make trip]
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR THE 25TH ANNUAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE GTUC
Monday August 1, 1978
Present were Cdes. Kenneth Denny, Vivienne Surrey, Gail Marshall, Venita Europe, George Lovell, Kester Alves, Albert Alstrom, Agnes Bend, Urma Joseph.
The meeting commenced at 3.15 p.m.
CDe. Denny informed the members present that all the members of all the committees for Conference planning would be called to the next meeting. He also asked that affiliates who were holding their Annual Delegates’ Conference should arrange for Cde. Surrey to announce the TUC’s Annual Delegates Conference.
Cde. Kester Alves stated that he would summon a meeting of the Brochure Committee before the end of the week. He asked that Cde. Surrey write Firms asking them for advertisements for the Brochure.
[Handwriting: “* 69820 1½ hrs program] Cde. Bend stated that a meeting of the Committee for Cultural Presentations would meet on Friday next. Cde. Marshall was asked to fet in touch with de. Culbard and inform him that this was the second meeting at which he had absented himself and ask him to be present at the next meeting.
Cde. Melville was asked to design the medal and Guymine should be asked to strike the medals. Other corporations should be asked to bber! [bear?] the cost of the medals.
Cde. Jainandan Singh and Ode. Thom of the Ministry of National Development would provide the chairs for the opening session which will be held at Queen’s College.
Cde. Albert Alstrom would work along with Cdes Singhand Thom to provide the decorations for the opening session of Conference.
[Handwriting: Vivienne Surrey signature]
Vivienne Surrey
Secretary.
[Handwriting: “publicity. Cde Surrey
Hugh Vandeyar – Chronicle, Van Dyke GIS, Albert Alstrom Nation –
-to help in [illegible word] + culture
-Cde Farray – (Farraer?) help in cultural planning
-min of Natl Dev’t – Education of Union Men.
-200 delegates – cultural center (sell tickets tuc))
-cot is a prob. tuc no finance costumes
-truck – full?, driver (saw our nice new truck Farray)
-next Monday 3:00 14/8 – meeting at Critchlow College ??. The Residence
-2 delegates USSR”]
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MAY DAY
The Origin
In December 1883 the American Trade Union Congress meeting in St. Louis decided to organise more demonstrations on 1st May the following year to secure a cut in the working day to 8 (eight) hours.
When the inaugural Congress of the Second Socialist Internationale met in Paris of 14th July 1889 (on the centenary of the fall of the Bastille) it carried French resolution that workers in all countries should display their solidarity “simultaneously in all countries on a given day”.
In 1891 the Brussels Congress of the Internationale pledged all Parties to celebrate May Day on the first day of the month by demonstrations and strikes. “The day of demonstration is to be a day on which work ceases, in so far as this is not rendered impossible by conditions in various countries”.
Since then May Day in one form or another has been taking place throughout the world. It is a time for labour demonstrations, which, at times have led to violence. In Moscow, the Soviet Union, the
2) first.. ..
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May Day
first socialist state, usually puts on a great military show of proletarian power. However, in recent years they have emphasised sport.
It is also marked in the U.S.A. which has its Labour Day in September, though Socialist groups in New York City and possibly in other large centers have to some extent followed the international custom.
May Day is an International holiday to commemorate the struggle of workers and re-kindle their solidarity for the pursuit and achievement of political, economic and social improvements.
In Guyana
In 1930 the British Guiana Labor Union organised the first Labour March in Guyana which started at Bourda Green and ended at Parade ground (Independence Park), via Albouystown and Kingston. The Union’s members and other workers marched with Hurbert Nathaniel
Critchlow and other labour leaders: men were dressed in red shirts, white trousers, and red rosettes, and women wore red jackets, white skirts and also carried red rosettes.
3) An important.. ..
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May Day
An important feature of these marches waS the emphasis on collecting donations to subsidise Union finance. “From May 1974, the Trade Union Youth Movement to aid its Educational Activities revived these collections in the form of a tag day”.
At Parade ground, addresses were given by Critchlow, other loading Trade Unionists, and representatives of the government, while messages were read from the Caribbean and International affiliates.
An important item on the Agenda was the passing of resolutions dealing with general political, economic and social issues. For example, resolutions centered on Adult Suffrage, rent-restriction, unemployment relief, the abolition of night-work in certain establishments, and a West Indian economic and political union.
The British Guinana Labour Union retained control of May Day celebrations until 1950 when the Trade Union Council began to organize the activities throughout the country. From that date
Guyana which had been celebrating May Day on different dates in the month of May, to coincide with given events, joined the rest
4) of the .. ..
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May Day
of the World on commemorating Labour Day on May 1st. The Trade Union Congress maintained the pattern of marking May Day with marches and demonstrations, the usual addresses and messages from abroad and the passing of resolutions.
In 1957, at the age of seventy-three (73), Gritchlow gave his final May Day address. On February 12, 1958 a motion, initiated by Mr Rupert Tello then general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, was passed making May 1st a Public Holiday, and Empire Day, formerly celebrated on May 24, was dropped.
Conclusion
Today the working people of the world, specially those in the so-called Third World, are still blatantly exploited by imperialism.
We in Guyana have opted to institute a socialist revolution for the creation of a better world. Revolutions are by definition disruptive to existing social formations but the old exploitative imperialist economic order operates to create greater difficulties in Guyanese social life.
We the working people of Guyana must use this international day
5) of working .. ..
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May Day
of working class solidarity to demonstrate our abhorrence to an international system which keeps millions in privation with [Handwriting: “out”] just cause.
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Sharon Amos
UNION CONFERENCE – CDE DENNY TUC UNION 8/8/78 (Sharon & tony [Tim Carter])
-Cde Denny asked if we would go with him to this meeting that was held at Critchlow Labor College – to plan a conference, labor union conf. and he wanted our entertainment to participate in the conference at a performance at the Cultural Center
-there wi-1 be 200 delegates including 2 from the USSR, delegates from Cuba and the US
-they will sell tickets to the cultural center and hope to fill it up
-a Cde Farrier is helping in the cultural planning and he said that he understood that we could help in transportation and in the cultural presentation/ he said he’s seen our “nice truck” – I asked what he means by help in transportation as we certainly couldn’t drive all the people tothe cultural presentation (all 3000)/ but they clarified it and said it would be to pick up the entertainers
-they asked me to speak about what we could do. I told them I’d need more details about what they wanted but told them our group has performed twice at the cultrual center, performed at the Pegasus and other night spots, but that it involves bringing our entertainers in by boat from the interior so we’d need to know what they need. I told them we have dancers, singers, groups, and a band that is learning caribbean music
-when I mentioned that our band etc had performed at night spots they picked right up on this and said maybe our band could perform at a barbecue they are giving. It might be held at the “residence” if they get it as they have asked to use the “residence” and are waiting for an answer
-I personally think they want us for both events because they feel they won’t have to pay us. They discussed finances and how they are limited in finances and Farraer was talking about allocating certain money for entertainers and they said they will have to pay about $3000 for the cultural center and may have to pay for gas to transport people etc.
-the cultural presentation show will be about 1 1/2 hours and they will have other artists besides ourself
-the conference will be from 26/9 – 1/10 and they aren’t sure which day the cultural program will be, a woman Cde. Bend will be contacting me about the details and they want us to come to the meeting next week also to discuss it
-the Secretary Cde. Surrey is very nice/ she’s with the Guyana Trades Union Congress and is kind of a motherly woman/ said she’d like to bring a group of Union women to visit Jonestown and I said fine we’d love tohave you. Also Cde. Bend is interested in coming
-Cde. Albert Alstrom who was in the meeting is a reporter with the Guyana Chronicle so I asked if he’d be interested in coming in a charter – he seemed friendly. Said he’d let me know. I found out from Cde. Denny that he is in the CCWU [Clerical & Commercial Workers Union] which is the Union which had a 24 hour strike around May. I asked if they were still anti-govt. He said not exactly tho they kind of remain independent as they feel they can better help workers if they are independent of the govt. and help workers in their rights. He wasn’t exactly critical of them. But he said Alstrom is mainly a religionist/ he’s a 7th Day ADventist. Alstrom told me that he is a trade Unionist / he said he has talked to Mike Prokes in the Past.
-also at the meeting was Ken Short who was the former mayor of Georgetown and is often at planning meetings related to governmental events – he used to be at the May Day Planning meeting at National Devt. He was friendly.
-I felt the whole group was very friendly and glad to have Tony and myself there. They seemed impressed when I talked about our entertainment. Cde. Denny picked us up and drove us home and said he’d come for us next week. He works at National Devt. in terms of (OVER)
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educational officer for the Union as well as Organizing Secretary of the TUC.
UNION MEETING – Tony’s notes
-we went to the TUC meeting with Cde. Denny/ the committee wants us to bring our entertainment to the cultural center at an undetermined date in September
-they also want us to provide free transportation to people who will be in the show
-Cde Bend and Ferraer will contact Sharon (they took our phone number) as soon as the details of what they want is more decided
-we are to attend another meeting on Monday 14 August/ Cde Denny will pick us up at 2:30 PM