Comrade Chairman, on June 16th, seventy (70) years ago, not too long after sunrise at Enmore, gun shots, at the behest of the sugar barons, pierced the cries for justice and dignity which had ensnared the East Coast Estates for two (2) months. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, snuffed out were the young lives of Lallabaggie and Dookie from Enmore, and Rambarran, Harry and Pooran from Enterprise/Non Pariel. The tragic episode represented another incident of repression on behalf of the plantocracy carried out with the support of the then State, which sought to suppress workers who were standing up for their rights. These five young men, now regarded as National Heroes, have come to be known as the Enmore Martyrs. They and their comrades-in-arms were, like us all, seeking a better day, improvement in their work life and economic justice.
We must ask:- Did their just demand to be provided with housing that protected them from the elements of the weather require their massacre? Did their call for fair wages and working-conditions need to elicit a hail of bullets? Did their cry for improvements in their squalid living conditions justify them being shot in the backs? Was essentially cold-blooded killing an appropriate response to workers demanding the recognition of a union that had their interests-at-heart? Comrade Chairman, the answer is a resounding and an unambiguous no. In our day, such a reaction would be deemed extreme and uncalled for. And, it would elicit all-round and widespread condemnation.
But, in that colonialist era, reasonableness was not a ready consideration. Though forced labour had ended several decades prior to Enmore 1948, the sugar barons still saw the workers as mere commodities whose only role and function was to realize profits and super-profits on their behalf. There was simply no empathy and consideration for the workers and their families’ well-being and welfare and when the workers decided to raise their voices of resistance and pursue their calls for justice, brute force and carnage were the order of the day.
The response to the workers resistance at Enmore was a script that was employed, time and time again, by the plantocracy. It was a script that saw workers being killed in 1869, 1872, 1876, 1879, 1888, 1894, 1896, 1899, 1903, 1905, 1913, 1914, 1924, and 1939. In every case the response of the plantation oligarchy and the colonial police was stark, brutal and uncaring. That script, with a different cast, was to be replayed at Enmore in 1948 and the plantocracy, given their success of repression of the past, had high hopes that the results of previous times would be replayed.
Alas, Comrade Chairman, Enmore proved to be a turning point. It, indeed, marked a proud departure from the sordid history of worker killings at the instance of the plantocracy and colonial domination. It indeed was a landmark struggle of workers which triggered a new phase in our history and our march toward freedom. The question is often asked, why Enmore 1948? What made this incident different from those before? What caused the plantocracy to seemingly abandon a time-tested response? These, Comrade Chairman, are reasonable questions and their answers can only enrich the remarkable and enduring contributions stemming from struggles of 1948 which led to the Enmore Massacre.
Alongside the sustained resistance demonstrated by the sugar workers was the active leadership and guidance of the Cheddi Jagan-led Political Affairs Committee (PAC) which was formed two (2) years prior. History records that Dr Jagan, his wife and others of the PAC, along with the leaders of the Guiana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU) actively supported the striking workers and stood together with them as they sought to advance their gains and secure improvements in their lives.
Dr Jagan in his well-known West on Trial wrote about his association with the striking workers. There he spoke about the support moral and other support he and his comrades lent to the struggle. He shared that he rubbed shoulders with the workers and in that process developed close relations with them. Dr Jagan also wrote about the deep impact the killing had on him and the emotion that had overcome him as he witnessed the burial of the Martyrs and the cries of their relatives. We all well-know of the silent pledge Dr Jagan took, a pledge to dedicate himself to releasing the Guyanese people from the clutches of bondage and oppression; it was a pledge that guided his work and life in the service of the Guyanese people and it was a pledge that he upheld and committed himself until he left us 21 years ago.
Comrades, at this time, when the GAWU, along with others in our nation pay tribute and recalls the remarkable life of Dr Cheddi Jagan on his centennial anniversary of his birth, we cannot fail to take into account and reflect on his and his comrades monumental role in ensuring a vastly better and improving conditions for the working class and their families. The Enmore Massacre indeed served, in a significant way, as an awakening call for the masses. It heightened their consciousness and steeled them in their resolve to demand freedom. The sustained struggle saw Guyana attaining independence eighteen (18) years after the Martyrs massacre and Guyanese being the owners of the sugar industry ten (10) years after our independence. Comrade Chairman, indeed the Enmore Martyrs sacrifice was not in vain. It was sacrifice that bore so many achievements and it is an incident that serves as a stark reminder of the wretched system of the plantocracy and colonialism.
Today, Comrade Chairman, as we, once again, pay tribute to the Martyrs, an observance that was initiated by Dr Jagan and later adopted by the State, we cannot fail to express indeed our sincere dismay that the organisers of today’s programme, for reasons best known to them, have chosen to exclude the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). The decision to disallow FITUG’s participation, without any rhyme or reason, is disconcerting and obviously worrying. It seems, from all apperances, that FITUG’s exclusion may be connected to that organisation’s forthright expressions on several matters of national importance. If this is the case, this should heighten our concern as a people and cause us to wonder whether we are heading down back to those dark times when the voices of dissentions are not tolerated. Certainly, this must be seen as yet another attack on our cherished freedoms and democratic culture and should cause us all to think what could be next.
Today, also Comrade Chairman, we must be saddened that the Martyrs are remembered when there is no operable Enmore Estate. As we well know, nearly 7,000 sugar workers have been laid off over the last two (2) years as the Administration, without hesitation or even a second thought, decided to close Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales Estates. Comrade Chairman, it is indeed disturbing that the Government took such a decision and ignored the cries of the workers and their families; the sincere advice from several creditable organizations, including the trade unions; and the calls from prominent personalities not to go in the direction it unfortunately went.
Comrade Chairman, today the now jobless ex-sugar workers of Enmore, like those of Wales, of Rose Hall and of Skeldon remain hard-pressed, and in some instances depressed. They are having grave difficulty in adjusting their lives. They have very serious troubles in securing decent and remunerative employment. They are forced to abandon their plans for life; some have had the difficult task of telling their children that they cannot afford to send them to school; some have the real trouble of finding food to put on the table; some have difficulties to meet life’s basic expenditure. Comrade Chairman, this is the cold reality of what the Government decision has meant for the sugar workers.
But what’s most upsetting is that it need not be this way. The route of closure was not the only path that the Government had. The Government’s own Commission of Inquiry pointed it in the direction it should go. GAWU, among others, shared with the Administration the very good possibilities of making the industry sustainable and viable. But in spite of all those real possibilities, the Coalition turned a blind eye and deaf ear and proceeded to close sugar estates. Even more heart-rending is that we see now, the minimized GuySuCo, going in that exact direction of sugar diversification.
Today, the now jobless workers have been forgotten by the authorities. We see no concern or any plan being advanced to take care of them and their families at this distressing point in their lives. The talk about lands for farming; monies for business; new careers and new jobs have all but died down. Even the workers right to severance pay has been disrespected, Comrade Chairman. It must be asked whether these people are a different set of Guyanese not deserving of the State’s support when they face difficulties and hardships.
Today, Comrade Chairman, we cannot fail also to recognise what seems to be a great deal of confusion and indecision further afflicting the sugar industry. This, Comrade Chairman, the GAWU strongly contends cannot be condoned nor encouraged. Its continuation, in our sincere view, could very well have lasting repercussions and the consequences will be a bitter-most pill to swallow. Too much is at stake, inclusive of the livelihood of thousands of workers; the well-being of tens of thousands of Guyanese and billions of dollars of the Guyanese peoples assets. The GAWU reiterates that this situation must be brought to an immediate halt and that the task of overcoming the difficulties in the industry be proceeded on with a capable, competent and experienced leadership and management of the sugar industry.
Comrades, at this time, the plight that has befallen so many sugar workers cannot be forgotten. We are sure that those who so heartlessly brought untold hardships to their lives will not be forgotten or forgiven now or in history. Comrades, the sugar industry and its workforce have a pivotal place in our country’s economic life. We urge the authorities not to disregard this. We urge them not to continue letting down the working people.
As we face new challenges today, new workers struggles are taking place. It is fitting, therefore, in such circumstances to reflect on and draw inspiration from the 1948 Enmore workers struggles.
Long live the Enmore Martyrs!
Long live the Working Class!
The struggle continues!
