The Guyana Labour Union is a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

centre in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, previously known as the British Guiana Labour Union.

History

The BGLU was founded in 1919, emerging as a labour union amongst

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

dockworkers. Led by Hubert Critchlow. It soon expanded into a colony-wide labour movement. BGLU was not the first trade union in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, but was the first to be legally registered. By 1928 the organization claimed to have 1,073 members, of whom 341 were women. It was linked to the

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

, and affiliated to the

International Federation of Trade Unions The International Federation of Trade Unions (also known as the Amsterdam International) was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war IFTU. IFTU had close links to the Labo ...

and the

Labour and Socialist International The Labour and Socialist International (LSI; german: Sozialistische Arbeiter-Internationale, label=German, SAI) was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The group was established through a me ...

(1924–1940). The organization did not struggle for national independence, but concentrated its campaigning on social matters and suffrage rights.Kowalski, Werner.
Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19
'. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985, p. 288. BGLU was joined by A. R. F. Webber. BGLU took the initiative for cooperation between trade unions in the Caribbean. At the 1926 BGLU convention, the British Guiana and West Indian Trade Union Confederation was founded. In 1945, BG&WITUC became the

Caribbean Labour Congress The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Forbes Burnham Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (20 February 1923 – 6 August 1985) was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1980 and then as its f ...

(later the president of Guyana) became president of GLU in 1952, and served until 1956. Burnham again became GLU president 1963–1965.Jain, Prakash C.
Racial Discrimination Against Overseas Indians: a class analysis
'. New Delhi (India): Concept Publ. Co., 1990, p. 90.

Desmond Hoyte Hugh Desmond Hoyte (9 March 1929 – 22 December 2002) was a Guyanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1984 to 1985 and President of Guyana from 1985 until 1992. Personal Life and Education Hoyte was born on 9 March 192 ...

, who also became president of the country, served as GLU honorary president in the 1980s. The Guyana Labour Union later became associated with the People's National Congress. Robert Williams is the general secretary of GLU.

References

{{reflist Afro-Guyanese Members of the Labour and Socialist International Trade unions established in 1919 International Federation of Trade Unions National trade union centres of Guyana 1919 establishments in British Guiana