Grenada Today - The National Newspaper of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique

Several speakers at Sunday's May Day rally in St. Andrew's organised by the Grenada Trades Union Council (TUC) have slammed Education and Labour Minister, Claris Charles over her decision to stay away from the event for the second straight year.

Charles, a former militant trade unionist and former President of the Grenada union of Teachers (GUT) was listed on the programme to address the gathering at Victoria Park in Grenville.

Last year, the female government minister gave the TUC an ultimatum that if the trade union movement cannot guarantee her security at Labour Day celebrations then she will not attend the event. Charles indicated that she was fearful of workers giving her the same treatment handed out in recent years to former Labour Minister and current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lawrence Joseph.

In 2003, Joseph, then a government senator, was heckled on Labour Day and had the microphone pulled away from him by angry and militant workers who protested government's decision to introduce a White Paper seeking to outlaw "sympathy strikes" at work places around the country.

Hundreds of workers took to the streets Sunday from Progress Park onto Victoria Park, Grenville, waving placards and chanting songs. "Claris in the Gardens hiding, hiding from workers", was the song coming from members of the Bank and General Workers Union (BGWU) as they entered Grenville town.

"Way Claris gone? She running from the 5%", read a placard in the hands of a worker. This is clear reference to the announcement by government to impose a tax on salaries of workers for the Reconstruction and Development Fund (RDF) in the aftermath of hurricane Ivan.

Labour Day 2005 was held under the theme, "Fifty Years of Championing Workers Rights and Continuing". Speaking at the rally, TUC President Derek Allard charged that Minister Charles was refusing to attend the function because she had failed in her attempts to control the labour movement for the Keith Mitchell government.

In a letter to the TUC explaining her absence, Charles who is a former General Secretary of TUC, was quoted as saying that the leadership of the movement must change in order to get her support.

Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Barbadian Barry Collymore offered a different reason for the Minister's absence during a radio interview over the weekend. Collymore was quoted as saying that Charles will not be attending the ceremony because she will be out of State.

"If she (Charles) was a woman of strength and character she would have been here," Allard charged. He accused the female government minister of "leaving the GUT in the middle of the night" to enter politics with a promise to better the lives and working condition of teachers.

"But instead of improving your situation she is proposing to have 5% removed from your salaries", said Allard, President-General of BGWU. "Is your situation better off today than when Claris was in the union", he asked workers who shouted "no" especially teachers.

Allard told the crowd that as long as he and the Presidents of Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU), Senator Chester Humphrey and Public Workers Union (PWU) leader, Madonna Harford are still associated with TUC then any attempts to undermine the movement would not succeed.

GUT's 1st Vice-President, Lydon Lewis who delivered the union's solidarity message at the rally also expressed disappointment with Minister Charles' absence.

According to Lewis, during the time Charles was President of GUT, she helped to mold them and taught them how to stand firm to become future leaders of the movement. He stated that leaders in giving must be prepared to take "because what goes around comes around".

Lewis said that teachers have had enough of teaching under "cancerous tarpaulins" and in schools with deplorable conditions with no end in sight. He warned that the union is preparing for another battle, GUT vs the Ministry of Education similar to the one between David and Goliath and the teachers are prepared to win.