The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) recognizes alas that the defacto Granger Government has decided to provide some form of assistance to those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federation, on several occasions, reiterated its call for the State to provide assistance to the thousands of Guyanese who have found themselves in difficult times at this time. In-as-much as we are heartened by this development we must share that we were disturbed to learn that even at this late stage, the touted relief is not immediate. Dishearteningly rather, we see affected and now distraught Guyanese are being asked to submit a request to determine their eligibility. Of course, we could not ignore too the absence of any information regarding the period before a request would be considered and appropriate assistance forthcoming.
We did see too, in the media, questions being raised about the financing of the touted initiative. This, we believe, is a critical element and the silence, of course, causes us to become anxious. Certainly, we hope this matter could be quickly cleared up and all the ambiguities addressed. The already too long delay in commencing the initiative means that the process ought to be efficient if it is to be effective and thus militate against hardships being faced by many. Of course too, as we have been saying, the initiative must be broad-based and take account of the many obligations of families which have been affected by the prevailing situation. To seek to address a few while ignoring others can have its own effects and, therefore, we have high expectations that a comprehensive package would be provided.
The FITUG, as a responsible workers organization, will continue to follow closely the ongoing developments and to offer its viewpoints on the situation. We are hopeful that those needy families can be quickly identified and assistance fast-tracked to them. Many persons have shared publicly their stories of anguish which have collectively tugged at the heart-strings of the nation. It is indeed saddening that they have had to suffer for such a considerable period but the absence of proactive leadership by the authorities in this pandemic period we contend is to blame. Of course, we recognize too, that the installation of a legitimate Government premised on the will of the Guyanese people has been a severe setback which is daunting our efforts at this time.
