ILO CONVENTIONS DO NOT PROHIBIT THE USE OF PRISON LABOUR

August 21, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under Features/Columnists, Peeping Tom, Source - Kaieteur News

For years, prisoners have been undertaking work such as cleaning drains in Georgetown. In the run-up to Mashramani, prisoners are usually used to help clean drains along the Parade route, especially the trenches on Thomas Road.

The office of the Guyana Trades Union Congress is not far away from Thomas Road. It is therefore surprising that all of these years  when prisoners were used to help clear the drains around the city on behalf of the municipality, the Guyana Trades Union Congress was  mute.

It never uttered a word of protest. It never complained about the forced labour. It never argued exploitation. But now that the government has contracted the Prison Service to undertake the clearing of the cemetery, there is a big hue and a cry from the so-called representative of the labour movement in Guyana.

How come all these years the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) was not complaining about the use of prison labour? How come now that the government is attempting to enable the Prison Service to earn some revenue and put some of the prisoners to work, a process that will also financially benefit the prisoners, the Guyana Trades Union Congress is protesting?

The GTUC has claimed an interest in this matter because some of the workers of the municipality are employed by the Council and therefore they feel that this generates an interest for the labour movement. This is a ridiculous argument, because it is the failure of the municipality to properly maintain the city that has led to the government having to grant contracts to private contractors and to the Prison Service to help deal with the neglect by the Council. The issue of the GTUC having an interest must therefore be qualified.

The ILO Convention to which the Guyana Trades Union Congress refers, deals with the use of forced or compulsory labour. The fact that prisoners will be undertaking the cleaning of the cemetery does not necessarily mean that this is forced labour. The only way that anyone can make such a charge is if they can establish that the prisoners will be forced to undertake the work by not consenting to do the work. Has the GTUC ever in the past questioned those who utilized the use of prison labour, whether the prisoners gave their consent to undertake works?

Have they ever enquired as to what level of compensation was offered to the prisoners? Have they, in other words, established that prisoners were short changed?

The Guyana Prison Service is entitled to negotiate for government contracts. This work does not displace the unionized employees of the unions affiliated to the GTUC, because it is the failure of the City Council to satisfactorily carry out its functions that has created the need for government intervention.

The Prison Service should be allowed to obtain work from the government. The employees of the Prison Service are also members of the workforce in Guyana, and if afforded the opportunity to undertake government work so as to gain revenues for the Prison Service, there should be no objection to this.

There should be no objection to also utilizing prisoners rather than having them cooped up all day in overcrowded cells. They too should be allowed to work outside of the prison environment and to earn some dollars while behind bars. This will mean that when they leave jail, they will have some resources to fall back on.

These prisoners will relish the opportunity to work outside of the jail. It will be a chance to be outside of the prison walls. They value that limited freedom that the work provides. It is also a chance for them to come to appreciate hard work and its value. This will serve them well when they leave prison.

The Guyana Trades Union Congress should therefore think carefully before its raises facetious arguments opposing the use of prison labour. It should be more circumspect when it comes to quoting ILO conventions on the use of forced and compulsory labour. Those conventions do not prohibit the use of prison labour.

Source -- http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....se-of-prison-labour/