GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — August 1, 2025
A second fire in just four months has completely gutted the headquarters of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and its educational institution, Critchlow Labour College (CLC), leaving the country’s oldest labour movement reeling—and raising serious questions about the motive behind the destruction.
The fire, which broke out on the evening of July 31, has been described by GTUC as “another suspicious blaze,” following a similar incident on March 22. With the cause of the first fire still officially unconfirmed, the latest inferno has only deepened fears that the organisation is under targeted attack.
“This is not just about the destruction of property,” said GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis in a statement released on Emancipation Day. “This is a blatant attack on the independent labour movement of Guyana—on our history, on our institutions, and on every working-class citizen who has ever benefited from what we stand for.”
GTUC is accusing unknown actors of trying to wipe out symbols of resistance and progress, referring to the fires as weapons aimed at silencing a movement that has long advocated for workers’ rights, good governance, and equal opportunity. The union warned that attempts to destroy the GTUC and CLC would not succeed.
“They will not silence us. They will not stop the work of independent labour. And they will not break our will to rebuild,” Lewis said. “The GTUC has been a pillar of Guyana’s development, and we will rise again.”
The Critchlow Labour College, named after pioneering labour leader Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, has educated tens of thousands of Guyanese over the past 50 years—many of whom went on to attend the University of Guyana and the Cyril Potter College of Education. The loss of its physical infrastructure is not just symbolic—it disrupts decades of educational advancement and second-chance opportunities for working-class Guyanese across all ethnicities and regions.
In his statement, Lewis also reminded the public that President Irfaan Ali had pledged government support to help rebuild after the first fire. “We hold the President accountable for that promise,” he said, noting that four months have passed with no report issued on the first fire.
Still, GTUC expressed gratitude to the Guyana Fire Service and all those who helped contain the blaze and prevent its spread to nearby buildings.
The union is now calling on the wider Guyanese public to take note of what it views as a troubling campaign against independent labour. “This is an attack on every citizen who ever depended on a second chance. It is an assault on our culture, our struggle, and our future,” Lewis warned.
Despite the devastation, the union says it will not retreat.
“Our foundation was built by men and women like Critchlow, Jagan, Burnham, Jane Phillips-Gay, Joseph Pollydore. Their legacy lives in us. And no fire—no matter how destructive—can burn that down.”
