“I am prepared to give my life in pursuance of rights for the proletariat.” By Michael BenjaminHe measures more than six feet tall and walks with a purposeful gait. He appears to be a most unassuming fellow yet one senses a fiery purpose in his demeanour, one that comes alive when his opinion on trade unionism is solicited. This is an issue` so close to his breast that he can spend hours discussing the intricacies of the topic. He professes to love his country and is prepared to lay down his life in his mission to secure a fair cut of the national pie for every Guyanese. He is Lincoln Lewis, trade unionist extraordinaire.Born under the zodiac sign Virgo, Lewis became an active trade unionist some thirty years ago. He needed no prompting from his peers; it was a vocation that blended with his disposition. He felt as though he was married to trade unionism from the very onset of his adolescence years.“I was inspired by that inner conviction that persons occupying public office inexplicably developed a belief that they have the support of establishment to use the authority vested upon them to exploit and transgress the rights of other individuals,” he extrapolated.He has notched up more than thirty years of advocacy for, and representation of, the less privileged but what are the indications that his life’s work has been impacting?Lincoln Lewis“I am confident that at this juncture of my career I have been able to very clearly crystallize my mission and bring to the attention of the citizens of this country the abuse that has been committed on them by the chief public servant, which for some reason has gone unnoticed and unchallenged over the years,” Lewis affirms.As one listens to Lincoln Lewis speak, you get the impression that you are interacting with an accomplished demagogue. The avid Trade Unionist even admits that he holds a secret admiration for two activists that were so tarred. They are renowned civil rights activist, the late Martin Luther King and his firebrand opposite, Malcolm X.“Yes! I may be juxtaposed with these two great men because the fundamental element of what I struggled for is the upholding of rights and the rule of law which to my mind are fundamental tenets of any civilized and democratic society and were those of the two American leaders under scrutiny,” he adumbrates.Notwithstanding his firm stance,Jerseys Wholesale, Lewis views himself, not as a political activist but as a fair-minded individual whose involvement in trade unionism places him in a unique position to represent the proletariat in the preservation of their rights.“The Trade Union Movement has a responsibility to influence and regulate social, economic and political life in society,” he believes.But doesn’t this view necessitate the adoption of a stance that could be interpreted as political in nature?He admits that the interpretation has some soundness but he does not regard his role as that of a politician. “We need to draw the line between a trade unionist and a political activist,” he implores. He describes his role as a trade unionist as one bent on creating an environment where the rights of workers are respected.“Which places you on a collision path with the politicians,” I suggested. This statement seemed to have touched him to the core.“Listen to me, Mike, when the Labour Movement was registered, Guyana’s two most renowned politicians were mere babes in the cradle. As a matter of fact, Cheddi (Jagan) was in diapers and (Forbes) Burnham was not yet born,” he says.Lewis uses this fact as rationale to segregate Trade Unionism from political advocacy.The sign says it all“The Trade Union Movement preceded the political movement in Guyana,” he says. Then he draws a distinct line between the two levels of activity. “Trade Unionism is a class movement that influences political, economic and social life in society and while the same could be said of politics, it is the checks and balances that trade union advocates provide that distinguishes the former from the latter.’It was the late leader, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham who advocated that the ‘small man is the real man.’ Since then, many persons have redefined the statement and substituted the word ‘smart’ for ‘small.’ Lewis subscribes to the remodeled version of Burnham’s statement that the ‘smart man is the real man.’“No trade unionist worth his salt can remain silent while the small man is being trampled upon,” he says. Over the many years of activism, the astute Trade Unionist said that he has observed the devious and unscrupulous disposition of some employers who exploited their workers. The mere thought of this raises his ire and he experiences an inner rage.“These employers cream off the organization while depriving the common workers of their fundamental rights.” While such occurrences are bad in principle, it is the concomitant results that anger him.“When these big bosses are finished plundering the organiza