Social Protection Ministry allocated $24M to GNCUL

The Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour has budgeted a total of $24M to be invested in the Guyana National Cooperative Union Limited (GNCUL).

During the consideration of estimates for the Department of Labour in the Supply Committee of the National Assembly on Tuesday evening, Minister with responsibility for the sector, Keith Scott made this disclosure. However, he could not disclose the head and other members of the body when questioned by members of the opposition. The minister promised to provide the details at a later date.

Minister Scott claimed that the body is located at Waterloo Street, Georgetown.

Opposition members of Parliament questioned the criteria for the allocation.

PPP/C MP, Bishop Juan Edghill asked about the nature of the body to which the Minister said the support is necessary as the Labour Department is in the process of revitalising the co-op movement.

Opposition MP, Jillian Burton also questioned the investment and asked the Minister to justify same. He told the house that the GNCUL is an umbrella body for several co-ops in the ten administrative regions.

Burton further questioned whether that money could not be better used by the Guyana Trade Unions Congress (GTUC), and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) to which the minister stunned the house by saying “You would recognise the virtual impotence of those two bodies.”

FITUG and the GTUC represent thousands of workers.

A total of $16.6B was approved for the Ministry of Social Protection for the year 2017.