The Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) met the Ethnic Relations Commission yesterday over the two-month-old wage impasse at Aroaima and called for a public enquiry into their complaint of discrimination.

General President of the union, Charles Sampson, in a release, said that a four-man team led by ERC Chairman Bishop Juan Edghill travelled to Linden and met with the union’s representatives at Watooka House.

Earlier this week, the union wrote to the ERC asking it to “to commence a public inquiry into charges of discrimination” against the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI).  The basis for this inquiry, the union argued, was due to discrimination on the “grounds of race and political geography”.

At yesterday’s meeting, the union during its preliminary presentation reiterated its desire to have a public inquiry into the charges of discrimination.

According to the release, the union is still counting on the Commission “to facilitate the process with the urgency it deserves.”

Further explaining its call for a public inquiry, the union said that it has become “conscious that the gravity of the discrimination borders on race, political affiliation/ geography, economics, rights and the rule of law.” The union is arguing that “the gravity of this case cannot be dealt with in (a) bilateral initiative”. According to the union this “will not remove the tension and discriminatory acts necessary to secure ethnic harmony and peace.”

The union has pledged “to participate and provide all information to support [its] charges in an open public inquiry.”

The GB&GWU is arguing that “the complaint is in the public domain” and consequently the issue is no longer one between the GB&GWU, the ERC, the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) and the Labour Ministry. “It is the people’s issue and as such the people must now be kept abreast and be prepared to participate where and if necessary”, the release said.  The GB&WU is also requesting a forum that provides for supporting evidence and witnesses to be called. It also issued a call for technical support for which ample notice would have to be given.

Further, the union says that it is willing to conform to an “agreed time table for participation that is consistent with agreed and acceptable principles and practices.”

Meanwhile, in another positive development for the union, the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board has responded to the letter by the GB&GWU and a meeting is between the two entities is scheduled for  Tuesday in the boardroom of the Brickdam office of the Labour Ministry.  This meeting is expected to address the issues of the Collective Labour Agreement and the company’s alleged coercion of workers to sign a prepared petition to seek de-recognition of the union, the release noted.

According to the release, the union is yet to receive a response from the Labour Ministry, which has been asked to intervene in the dispute between the company and the union.

The union has blasted the ministry for intervening in other disputes but ignoring the one at Aroaima.

The dismissed workers of the Aroaima site have also dispatched a letter to Prime Minister Samuel Hinds “seeking his intervention in having the workers’ rights respected” and for justice to prevail.

The union asked the Prime Minister to assist in his capacity as “a former miner, former resident of the mining community, rights advocate, minister with responsibility for mining and Prime Minister.” Last month, striking bauxite workers had travelled to protest in front of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In the letter to Hinds, the union said that 57 workers have been wrongly dismissed by the company for “trumped up charges” such as “refusal to obey instruction, insubordination” etc.

The union said that they were not even charged and were never given a hearing on the issues. “Yet the company has pronounced us guilty of all these offences”, the union said.

Previously when this newspaper attempted to solicit the views of the Prime Minister on the matter, he declined to comment saying that it was a matter for the Labour Ministry.

The Labour Ministry has since said that it continues to try its best to urge both the union and the company to meet.