Once again, the core of the labour movement is seeking an alliance with a political party to realise its long-sought-after objectives of being part of a government that will recognise and treat trade unions and their membership in a manner that brings tangible benefits to workers.
Labour, via JTUM president general Ancel Roget, has telegraphed its aspiration to be part of the decision-making in the economy and society, so as to ensure workers receive larger portions of wages and long-term benefits for their input into economic growth and development.
These are aspirations and demands which are regional and international. In countries around the globe today, workers and their unions are seeking, with greater force and stridency, to close the gap between the owners of capital and themselves, who produce the goods and services.
As indicated, there is nothing new regarding the unions seeking electoral alignment with political parties. The difficulty, however, has arisen in instances where once political power has been achieved, the sharing of the reins of governance and decision-making power comes up.
The recent history of labour and political party alliances in government has been that they last no longer than the proverbial “Red House Fire”.
There have been instances in 1991 in the PNM, when then-prime minister Patrick Manning and labour leader Errol McCleod developed campaigning togetherness; and in 2010 when Mr McCleod was made a minister and Mr David Abdulah a senator as a part of the People’s Partnership with Kamla Persad-Bissessar as prime minister, but the break-up came swiftly.
Even further back to 1976, when the trade union movement created the United Labour Front, labour leaders cum politicians Raffique Shah and Panday fought a battle for control as the official opposition. In the instances of PNM alliances under Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, he kept such arrangements with labour on the fringes of government and settled labour leaders with a placement or two in the Senate.
The historic labour movement must be given credit for being in the forefront of agitating for and achieving the first movement away from colonial rule going back to the turn of the 20th century. First, the Workings Men’s Alliance, then Captain Andrew Cipriani’s organisation of the post-WWI fighters into the “Barefoot Man” army, and most effectively when Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler led the 1937 revolt of oil and sugar workers, with Adrian Cola Rienzi putting organisational frame to the labour movement.
Thereafter, labour’s focus was on enhancing the industrial relations environment and petitioning for the passage of labour laws, eventually having the Industrial Court to determine disputes.
As the unions have found out in their attempts to return as an electoral, political force in government, however, the differing objectives of theirs and the political parties have made long-term success in government impossible to achieve.
Most important has been the reality that political parties in government are not willing to share power, even after being supported by the unions to get into office. And trade unions do not take easily being sidelined by the politicians.
The portends are, therefore, not good for any new attempt at both winning office and holding together in government.
