Opposition Leader Says 2025 Labor Day Brought “No Benefits” for Guyanese Workers
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has slammed the PPP/C administration for failing to improve the lives of Guyanese workers, stating that Labor Day 2025 marked “no progress or achievement” in wages, working conditions, or quality of life.
At a press conference on Friday, Norton emphasized that despite Guyana’s oil wealth, workers continue to live paycheck to paycheck under what he described as a government more focused on “bricks and concrete” than people.
“Labor Day highlighted the daily hardships and struggles our workers endure,” Norton declared. “This government fails to respect the labor force of this country.”
He pointed to the Guyanese Constitution, underscoring the importance of worker participation in national development, and said that with massive oil revenues, workers should be enjoying livable wages and a decent standard of living—but instead face economic insecurity and deteriorating conditions.
Norton also raised concerns about continued union rights violations, stressing that the government has ignored collective bargaining and suppressed union activism. He said the working population is swelling, but rights and protections are shrinking.
“Too many of our workers are still trapped in cycles of economic insecurity, hardship, and neglect,” Norton added.
On Thursday, Guyanese workers marked Labor Day 2025 with marches through Georgetown, dressed in red, white, and black, calling for stronger labor protections and respect for their rights.
