The Manpower Citizens' Association was 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 ( ...

and political party in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

History

The MPCA was first registered in 1937, and was initially led by Ayube Mohamed Edun.The beginning of the MPCA
Guyana.org The union represented sugar workers, many of whom were

Indo-Guyanese Indo-Guyanese or Indian-Guyanese, are people of Indian origin who are Guyanese nationals tracing their ancestry to India and the wider subcontinent. They are the descendants of indentured servants and settlers who migrated from India beginnin ...

.The Development of Political Parties

Library of Congress Country Studies The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the United States Library of Congress, freely available for use by researchers. No copyright is claimed on them. Therefore, they have been dedicated to the public domain a ...

After the Leonora sugar workers' strike in 1939, membership began to increase significantly, passing the 20,000 mark in 1943, making it the largest union in the country. In March 1939 the Sugar Producers' Association (SPA), the organisation for sugar estate owners, officially recognised the union. In 1945

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 199 ...

became its treasurer, but he left a year later after several clashes with the moderate leadership over policy, including the union's pro-employer attitude. The union contested the 1947 elections, nominating seven candidates for the 14 elected seats in the Legislative Council, campaigning for the nationalisation of industry and the introduction of land settlement schemes. However, it won only one seat.The 1947 parliamentary elections in colonial British Guiana
Stabroek News, 6 May 2010 In April 1948 the Guiana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU) was formed, with the intention of replacing the MPCA as the major union for field and factory workers; sugar workers had become disillusioned with the MPCA, which offered little resistance to the SPA. During a strike in the same month, the MPCA urged strikers to return to work, claiming their demands would be discussed with the SPA. However, strikers ignored the call, despite the SPA saying they would only deal with the MPCA as the only recognised union. By the end of 1948, the GIWU had the support of the majority of sugar workers.The formation of the GIWU
Guyana.org In the

1953 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1953. Africa * 1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election * 1953 South African general election * 1953 Southern Rhodesian federation referendum * 1953 South-West African legislative election ...

the union supported the National Democratic Party. In 1955 Rupert Tello became the union's president, replacing

Lionel Luckhoo Sir Lionel Alfred Luckhoo (2 March 1914 – 12 December 1997) was a Guyanese politician, diplomat, and well-known lawyer, famed for his 245 consecutive successful defences in murder cases. He was the brother of the last Governor-General of G ...

. From 1960, the union's leaders supported the new United Force party led by

Peter d'Aguiar Peter Stanislaus D'Aguiar ( 1912 – 30 March 1989) was a Guyanese businessman, conservative politician, and minister of finance from 1964 to 1967. Business career In 1934, following the death of his father, D'Aguiar became the managing director ...

.Politics…TUF’s trek into history
Stabroek News, 29 April 2010 During the early 1960s the unrecognised

Guiana Agricultural Workers Union The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers' Union (GAWU) is the largest trade union in Guyana. It was founded in 1946 as the Guiana Industrial Workers' Union. After failing in the 1950s it was reformed as the Guyana Sugar Workers' Union in 1961 ...

demanded that a poll take place amongst sugar workers to decide whether they or the MPCA should represent their interests. The MPCA and the SPA opposed a poll. Following a strike in 1964, Prime Minister Jagan asked Governor Ralph Grey to undertake a poll. Although Grey refused, he later formed a commission of enquiry to determine which union should be the workers' representative. The MPCA immediately filed an injunction at the Supreme Court to block the enquiry. The enquiry was later abandoned with Jagan lost power.The outbreak of racial disturbances in 1964
Guyana.org

References

{{Guyanese political parties Indian diaspora in Guyana Trade unions in Guyana 1937 establishments in British Guiana Trade unions established in 1937 Defunct political parties in Guyana