Dear Editor,

The Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) is bent on breaking the laws with the continued support of the Government of Guyana and other players, who seem more comfortable giving support to the violations in as much as their body is independent of BCGI and the Ministry of Labour.

Within recent weeks there has been direct on the ground involvement of BCGI Labour Consultant Mr Mohamed Akeel, who prior to assuming this post was the country’s Chief Labour Officer. It is tempting to accord Akeel some credibility in respect of industrial relations matters and assume his job at the company would aid in resolving the dispute. Thus far the contrary has been the case, going back to his relationship with the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) when he was Chief Labour Officer and Secretary of the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board, and now as consultant to BCGI.

Since March 18, Akeel and BCGI Human Resources Manager have been having meetings with workers on site advising them to form a workers’ committee to meet with management because the company does not like the leadership of the union. When workers informed the duo they wanted their union, he responded that they should go ahead and form the committee until the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board rules on the recognition issue. As I write he is again on site carrying on with this illegal action.

Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir as quoted in Kaieteur News (March 25) acknowledges that the “Labour Occupational Safety and Health department recognizes the GB&GWU,” yet his ministry is doing nothing to resolve the impasse even as Akeel continues his mission forcing, intimidating and coercing workers to form a workers’ committee in contravention of the law.

Bauxite workers are under constant assault from some serious double standards, illegal actions and inactions by custodians of the laws. First, as a condition to return to work they had to sign a company prepared petition seeking to have the union derecognized. Second, it was the company allowing a non-union member and known PPP supporter to go around the plant and have workers sign up forms saying they wanted NAACIE to be their union. Third, NAACIE representatives were invited to the plants to hold meetings and the workers were instructed by department heads to attend these meetings. Now Mr Akeel is out there with the Human Resources Manager having meetings and advising workers to form a committee. Comments by Stabroek News’  blogger Jamal Ali on March 16 that attacked the union and leaders and promoted NAACIE has been photocopied and distributed by Mr Akeel to workers as support for why the company does not want the union and why the workers should join NAACIE.  Simultaneously, a letter purportedly written by management and signed by Orin Ford, Reford Byass and Elymuwell Barkoye appeared in the Guyana Chronicle and Stabroek News (March 26) and later the very letter in KN (April 1) signed only by Byass and Barkoye. The modus operandi thus being to attack the union and its leadership, deny/ignore the laws broken, pitch NAACIE as the preferred union or encourage the formation of a workers’ committee.

What is disturbing is that Mr Akeel, more so than any other, knows these actions are illegal and in violation of ILO convention, # 87 Right Freedom of Association and the Trade Union Recognition Act Chapter 98:07.  But it is this very Mr Akeel, as Chief Labour Officer and Secretary of the Recognition Board that delayed recognition of the GB&GWU for more than two years to represent workers at Oldendorff. There are other companies where the union is recognized and every time these companies take a position which impinges on the right to collective bargaining the Ministry of Labour would apply dilatory tactics not to have the matters resolved.  It is clear that the GB&GWU is being targeted by the government and their cohorts for containment and destruction. Illegal acts are being employed to deny the union the opportunity to expand outside of bauxite and now we are seeing the law again being broken to deny recognition in the areas recognition is already granted. Conclusively, these antics are geared to destroy the union and a people’s right to freedom of association.

Because of this discrimination the union took its case to the Ethnic Relations Commission requesting a public enquiry, and this independent constitutional body, funded by the workers’ tax dollars, continues to refuse to act five months into the dispute.

Yours faithfully,
Carlton Sinclair
President Aroaima/Kwakwani Branch
GB&GWU