By Cathy Richards
Workers at the Bauxite Com-pany of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) yesterday downed tools after their union and the company failed to come to a satisfactory agreement during recent negotiations.
The action was sanctioned by the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) following discussions with the workers on Saturday evening, where they were briefed on the outcome of the Friday meeting with the company. Attempts by this newspaper yesterday to get a comment from company officials failed.
According to acting General Secretary of the GB&GWU, Leslie Gonsalves, at the meeting they were given a draft version of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) concerning wage increases for 2009. He said that part of the memo stated that the union has chosen the first of three proposals previously submitted to the union, namely, a 10% increase in wages for all workers for 2009. The memo further stated in the same paragraph that this would be accompanied by “the termination of the contracts of employment of 75 workers”. This, Gonsalves said, the union refutes since they only agreed to the 10% increase retroactive to January, 2009.
Further, he pointed to another clause in the memo which said that the company agrees to an increase of the wages of its workers by 10% for the year 2009 and this increase shall be valid for 2009 only. “We need clarification on this which they failed to give us. In this clause are they saying to us that come 2010 this increase would not be applied. Would that amount be taken back in 2010? These are the things they are failing to clarify with us” Gonsalves declared.
The workers proceeded on strike yesterday when day shift workers stationed at the Kwakwani and Aroaima sites turned up for work at the usual 6 am but downed tools about 15 minutes later. At 6:45am, a letter by the union was submitted to the company through the security ranks. The letter stated that the union was informing BCGI that they had sanctioned the industrial action taken by the workers. It further stated that this union was available to meet with the company urgently, to expeditiously seek to have the situation return to normalcy according to article 46:2 of the collective labour agreement.
When Stabroek News arrived at Maple Town, Aroaima yesterday, the workers had gathered at a residence. They came out of the company’s concession to speak and opined that BCGI has been employing delay tactics in the negotiations with their union. “They never believe that we would rather leave this company and either suck salt or find wuk somewhere else. It’s too much for us now to bear”, said one worker.
After they proceeded on strike, they said, the company made no effort to contact the union for a resolution. However, shortly after mid-day, BCGI, through its Personnel Officer and another senior employee who were accompanied by security ranks, distributed letters of suspension to workers.
“They tried this thing the last time and they get through but it ain’t gon go down so this time”, the workers said echoing each other. A few workers said that they were caught off guard by those distributing the letters who told them that they had to sign for a document. “We hadn’t a clue that it was suspension letters they were giving us so a couple of us signed and collected It”, one explained. The letter stated, “Today, 22nd November 2009, you have abandoned your workplace without reason. The company suspends you pending investigation starting from 22nd November to 26th November 2009.”
The workers said that when they were issued the letter, they were told to pack all their belongings and leave the company’s premises. A number of buses were contracted by BCGI to transport the workers to Linden. However, only a worker who was injured during a football game and three others, who were scheduled to leave, did so. Others decided that the company was attempting to worsen the situation rather than resolve it. At that point workers took to the streets of Maple Town with placards reading “No money no work, we deh home, they got to go home. We want we money the Russians must go home,” among others.
Meantime, the workers said that the company has 130 supervisors for a little over 300 workers and asserted that this is a tactic to weaken the effect of industrial action should it occur at any time. They contended that on most occasions there are as many as ten supervisors with as little as twenty three workers in a given section. “I can recall more than one instance where we had over seven supervisors working with three junior workers, tell me what sort of management is this”, an employee said.
Several workers said that they had indicated to their management that they were willing to leave the job and were told that they would not be on the list for retrenchment. They said that the company was guilty of attempting to have them not agree to accept the first proposal. “In one of the meetings they had with us, when the personnel manager asked us which option we agreed to, I stood up and said I agree to option one. In a very serious tone of voice she turned to me and said that I would be the first on the list for those to be retrenched”, a worker related.
Throughout yesterday this newspaper attempted to make contact with the General Manager and the Personnel Manager. On the first instance communicating through the security officers at the check point the interpreter said that questions must be submitted via email. SN then caught up with the Personnel Officer, Leroy Saul who said that he would have conveyed the request. Two hours later he returned and said the personnel manager was indisposed. Several other attempts to get a comment failed.
Meantime, arguing that the MOA was poorly drafted, Gonsalves pointed to several clauses including Clauses Four and Five. He also cited Clause Six which states “the wage increase for the remaining employees would be paid as follows:- increases for the period 1st January to 30th May 2009 will be paid on or before the 31st January 2010, increases for the period 1st June to 30th November 2009 will be paid on or by 31st March 2010 and notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained increases for the month of December 2009 shall be paid by 31st December 2009.” The union General Secretary declared that the workers are refusing to accept their payments in parts
The proposals put forward by the company states that it will increase wages up to 10% and make retroactive payments. In order to do this, it would be necessary to carry out retrenchment of workers in proportion to the production volume decrease in 2009.
In the second proposal the company suggested an increase in wages up to 10% and to make retroactive payments. To effect this, the working shift of each hourly employee would be decreased to 8 hours in accordance with the normal length of a working day as stated in the laws of Guyana. The third proposal said that the company would make a lump sum payment.
One worker said that the company is wasting time noting that the union had submitted proposals to the company since earlier in the year with no response. “We are being forced to survive on the same salaries since only God knows when and this is not fair…it is hard working in these conditions and when we talk about these things nobody seems to want to believe us. I am not sure if y’all gon want to print it too. But we are telling the God’s truth and somebody should really listen to us and believe us.”
Meanwhile, following the industrial actions by the workers, it was reported that persons who operated shops on the concession were ordered by BCGI management to close their businesses. This action was condemned by workers and others who reside in Maple Town. One housewife said that the order would affect her children’s attendance at school today since she was unable to secure items to prepare snacks.