– as company fires some workers
By Cathy Richards
Negotiations between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) and management of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) came to an abrupt standstill yesterday when the union received word that the company was issuing letters of dismissal to employees.
BCGI was also issuing letters to workers indicating that the company had ceased operation indefinitely.
According to GB&GWU’s Acting General Secretary Leslie Gonsalves the union and the company had already agreed in principle that letters of suspension which were given to employees would have been withdrawn. The two parties were at the stage of discussing a clause the company wanted in the terms of resumption to have employees back on site on Monday for work on Tuesday morning, when the union got word of the circulation of letters of dismissal to some workers.
The letter from BCGI General Manager Sergey Kostyuk dated November 25, to selected employees stated that on November 22, “you engaged in unlawful industrial action against [BCGI] at Aroaima, Berbice. Your unlawful actions have adversely affected BCGI’s operations resulting in severe economic losses. In addition to the above you have engaged in disruptive activities at BCGI’s premises at Aroaima. Accordingly, BCGI hereby exercises its lawful right to terminate your employment with immediate effect.”
Gonsalves said the union saw “this act by the company as being very devious and we cannot condone such behaviour. When we questioned the General Manager about this he said the company has the right to hire, fire, promote or demote.” Gonsalves added that contact will now have to be made with Chief Labour Officer Yoganand Persaud before going forward.
Several workers who assembled at the Linden Bus Park yesterday morning to be transported to the mining operation at Kwakwani and Aroaima were told that no bus was sent to transport them in. According to the workers they made contact with the company and were informed that Personnel Officer Leroy Saul was on his way out of Aroaima to talk with them.
They said that on Saul’s arrival each employee was issued a letter which indicated that all operations at the company had ceased until further notice. The letter also stated that the workers who were served letters would be paid for four hours a day for the duration of the closure.
On Sunday several workers were issued letters of suspension for five days by the company.
The company took the decision to cease operations indefinitely after workers took strike action; workers have been off the job for the past five days.
The company and the GB&GWU have since been in negotiations to agree on terms of resumption. The most recent meeting was held in Georgetown yesterday at the Ministry of Labour.
Meanwhile, workers at both Aroaima and Kwakwani locations continue to be present in the streets. On Wednesday evening a team of police officers from the city were air-dashed to Kwakwani and were successful in removing several road blocks which were sit up by the protesters.
The main opposition PNCR yesterday said the situation in the Bauxite sector has reached crisis proportions, adding that workers at Aroaima were faced with the reality that a foreign Company is arrogantly refusing to honour the collective labour agreement with the union. “This situation cannot be allowed to continue,” the party declared, adding that government has exhibited double standards in the differential treatment to various categories of workers. “The speed with which the Ministry of Labour intervened in the recent strike by sugar workers is in sharp contradiction to the total neglect for bauxite workers giving validity to the PNCR often repeated allegation of discrimination by the PPP/C of bauxite workers,” the party said, while demanding that Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir intervene to ensure that BCGI does not take further advantage of the workers in that entity.
Earlier yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon called for continued negotiation between the union and RUSAL for a solution that would be of benefit to the company, which government sees as ultimately beneficial to workers and Guyana in the long-term.
Dr Luncheon said at the last Cabinet meeting it was noted that the company was “deeply affected” by the consequences global financial crises and in their negotiations for wages and salaries for 2009 the workers withdrew their services. “Cabinet noted that its earlier position in the industrial relation arena at this specific point in time, Guyana and the Guyanese economy the importance of mature decision making, mature decision making in the companies and the workers in the productive sector. Cabinet reiterated that position, cabinet also reiterated that its primary focus right now where the economy is concerned is still job preservation…” he said. He noted that in other countries bauxite companies have “closed their doors and walked,” and pointed out that this was not done by the RUSAL or BOSAI, which instead sought to minimise the impact of the global downturn on jobs.