Today, the third Thursday of October, is World Credit Union Day. This year it occurs in the same month when Jamaica is observing the 150th anniversary of the Morant Bay Rebellion. That event, in 1865, was Jamaica’s starting point on the long road to self-government in 1944 and political independence in 1962. Jamaica’s arrival at self-government was helped by Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) before a spirit of nationalism emerged in the mid-to-late 1930s.

One fruit of nationalism in the 1930s was local entertainment. The ‘Bim-and-Bam’ duo of Ed Lewis (1914-76) and Aston Wynter (1913-78); the ‘Ike-and-Mike’ duo of Eric Coverley (1911-2002) and FIorizel Glasspole (1909-2000); and the comedienne-poet Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919-2006) were prominent. Another fruit of nationalism in the 1930s was Jamaica Welfare in 1937 (later Social Development Commission) founded by Norman Manley that established self-help housing, agricultural co-operatives and agro-industries and youth camps.

Then came the riots of 1938, out of which came the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the People’s National Party. This emerging nationalism continued into the 1940s, and some of the later fruits were the first credit unions and the annual pantomime in 1941, the Council of Voluntary Social Services in 1942, and the Jamaica Federation of Women in 1944. In a real way, all of the fruits of nationalism had their roots in the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865.

The Young Men’s Sodality of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston got caught in the nationalism mix. While discussing the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in light of the social issues of the day, they observed that the black-skinned peasants could not get loans from the commercial banks. This forced the peasants into the hands of loan sharks who wanted up to 75 per cent interest on loans. The Young Men’s Sodality of Holy Trinity Cathedral felt that the best way to combat this would be to form credit unions.

Around the same time, the Kingston clerks formed a credit union that was actually registered before the Sodality Credit Union. One of the foundation members of Kingston Clerks Credit Union was Florizel Glasspole. Later, all co-operatives set up by Jamaica Welfare, the Fishermen’s Co-operatives, those set up by the Jamaica Agricultural Society, the Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League (established in 1942) and others were registered under the Co-operative Act of 1950.

While the credit unions have helped in the financial empowerment of Jamaicans of all classes, the tradition around the world of co-operation among co-operatives has happened only in small quantities in Jamaica. The National Union of Co-operative Societies includes several producer and services co-operatives, as well as the Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League and the Jamaica Fishermen’s Co-operative Union. But far more producer and service co-operatives should be financed by credit unions.

I work and pray for the day when there will be, once again, a co-operative hotel in Jamaica that belongs to its members, but this time the common bond should be the members of credit unions. Not because the Casa Monte Hotel Co-operative in Stony Hill of the mid-1970s to early 1980s closed down means that we should give up on the idea. Many business ventures, including credit unions, other co-operatives and companies, close but others still try until they succeed.

Just this past Sunday, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, who was once a leader in some co-operatives, spoke of the need for incentives for mathematics teachers to ensure that they stay within Jamaica’s school system. This incentive could be in the form of a co-operative hotel as with all other teachers, other government employees and private tradespersons.

In most of the big tourist hotels in Jamaica, children come with their parents from overseas during the school term because that is the time when their parents take their vacation leave from their places of work overseas. Other tourists do not bring their children to Jamaica because they do not want them to miss classes. But they might bring their children if they get can tutoring while on vacation.

If teachers are a part of a co-operative hotel, their part-time job could be to give these tourist-children extra lessons so that they are not behind in school. The members of Jamaica Teachers’ Association and EDUCOM credit unions could help by voting at general meetings to help finance the capital out of their annual profits (called ‘surplus’ in co-operative jargon).

While all primary and secondary school students should continue to attend school for five days a week, the teachers’ free-period schedule should be set up in such a way that each get a day off every week to do part-time work in a co-operative venture or otherwise. Even in primary schools, where there is one teacher per class, there should be a day in the week when another teacher takes the class so that the regular teacher gets a day off for part-time employment elsewhere.

Some tourists come to Jamaica for health reasons and the nurses could get into the act here. The Nurses’ Association of Jamaica credit union could also help to finance the capital out of their surplus. In this way, the nurses would earn more income and perhaps stay in the health care system as might the teachers in the school system instead of migrating.

Incidentally, the current Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson is a past president of St Thomas Credit Union (now merged with First Heritage Credit Union). Ferguson is also a former first vice-president of the Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League. With such a background, the minister of health should be one of the first people to give advice for a co-operative hotel.

The electricians, plumbers, chefs, waiters, landscape workers, taxi drivers, and others in the hotel co-operative could do the rest while voting for some credit union surplus at general meetings towards the project.

ekrubm765@yahoo.com

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