Dear Editor,
It appears as though we, a democratic society, have resorted to an archaic, draconian and uncivil manner of settling disputes. The handling of the air traffic controllers’ strike is a case in point.
Minister Benn’s comments reported in the Stabroek News of February 4, when he threatened that if the workers did not turn up for their scheduled hours of work, then it would be considered that they had “voluntarily separated themselves from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority” were most unfortunate. Minister Benn’s aggressive manner in dealing with the dispute certainly created an atmosphere which would have only deepened the problem.
There also seems to be confusion about the chain of command when the President is absent from the country, as was evident in the comments made by the acting President, Samuel Hinds as well as by the actions of Minister Benn. In SN of February 5 the headline read ‘Firing point not yet reached – PM,’ then in the KN of that same date there was a caption, ‘Minister Benn sacks Air Traffic Controllers.’
The SN reported the Prime Minister as saying that he did not believe government had reached the point of firing the striking air traffic controllers, while the KN said that letters of termination had been issued to the fifteen employees who had picketed the Minister’s office. Clearly the PM did not think the drastic action to fire the workers was warranted, while Minister Benn felt otherwise.
The question is did any discussion at the highest government level take place on how this matter should be handled? Did PM Hinds advise Minister Benn that the dismissal of the workers was not an option the government should entertain?
Clearly, this instance demonstrates that there seems to be a real leadership problem within the executive arm of the state, or is it that the PM is taken for granted?
It is also unfortunate that the Prime Minister seemed to be unaware that advertisements to fill the positions of the ‘dismissed’ Air Traffic Controllers were being broadcast regionally; how can Minister Benn initiate all these actions and the acting President seem to be unaware of them?
And speaking about recruiting employees from outside of Guyana, wouldn’t this decision have resulted in even more cost for the Guyana government, than if they paid the striking workers their due?
I believe that had this matter been dealt with in a more restrained manner an amicable solution was possible. Instead what happened was that the Minister appeared to be on a mission to demonstrate to the employees that he was indeed the ‘boss.’ It appears as though no real consideration was paid to the concerns raised by the workers.
I am disappointed about how this entire matter was handled by the government. Intimidation is not the way to solve industrial relations disputes in this modern day, and it certainly cannot be touted as a deterrent to legitimate strike action. I also believe that the government should seek to invest more in training more persons to fill this demanding job.
Yours faithfully,
Lurlene Nestor
