Dear Editor,
On Tuesday, May 18, the Workers Committee formed by the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) met with the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board (TUR&CB), under the chairmanship of Justice Prem Persaud, and was advised of a pending survey at the site to determine if the workers still want the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) to represent them. While the union is confident it has the support of the workers, the board’s recent action given its five-month old inaction to a complaint before it by the union on this impasse is worthy of attention.
On January 12, 2010 the GB&GWU met with the board and in a written presentation, charged: 1) the refusal of BCGI to meet with the union consistent with the Recognition Act, Chapter 98:07, to discuss matters pertaining to workers’ welfare in as much as there exists a legal certificate of recognition between the parties; and 2) the company’s action of coercing members of the union to sign a company prepared petition to request a poll in the hope it could seek de-recognition of the union under Section 31 of the said act. Since BCGI’s action was in violation of Section 23 (1) of the act, the union saw it as serious enough to deserve the board’s attention and adjudication. In support of the coercion charge the union provided written statement by the workers attesting that they were summoned by their supervisors and asked to sign a company-prepared petition addressed to the board. Given the fear stalking the land and wanting to prevent further victimization of the workers the lists of signatures were presented in a confidential envelope to the Chairman.
The board is also aware that the Workers Committee was formed by the company and workers so advised by circular on April 1 in as much as a legally recognized union exists. And that this committee came about after several failed attempts to get workers to denounce the GB&GWU and accept NAACIE, the union of the company’s choice. Bauxite workers under the law have human rights too, including the right to choose a union of their choice, yet everything to the contrary is happening, and now the board seems to be going along with this transgression. I say so because of the board’s decision to now conduct a survey, one month after the company formed a Workers Committee, and its failure five months after to adjudicate the union’s complaint brought before it, in as much as the GB&GWU is the workers’ representative and the Secretary to the board, Yoganand Persaud, in Guyana Times (April 8) confirms this by saying , “The Trade Union Recognition Board still recognises the Guyana Bauxite and General Worker’s Union as the legal collective bargaining and representation unit for workers.” These acts suggest a deepening of collusion with the government and BCGI to deny workers what is rightly and justly theirs.
The members of the board must be aware of these flagrant violations they presided over and that justice delayed is justice denied. Labour’s representatives at this meeting were Carvil Duncan and Seepaul Narine, General Secretary of GLU and GAWU respectively, whose presence on the board is that of representing the interests of all workers consistent with labour principles, practices, conventions and laws. Via media release on April 16, GAWU in its show of solidarity with the GB&GWU and bauxite workers called on the Labour Minister to “reconsider his previous and current indifference with respect to this issue,” yet its General Secretary was party to the decision to continue to deny the legally recognized union the right to bargain on behalf of its members by sitting on a board and refusing to address the union’s January 12 complaint. GB&GWU is compelled to ask GAWU if its solidarity was genuine or was it reprimanded for supporting universal labour principles, conventions and laws, and reminds Duncan of the demands of justice.
It becomes clearer every day that for some workers to enjoy basic human rights they will have to continuously struggle harder under this administration, since even when principles, conventions and laws are on their side, they are not given their due respect.
The ministry’s refusal to resolve this seven-month impasse, the board’s refusal to investigate the five-month old complaint before it, and then to now come up with another tactic not to do so is clearly discriminatory against a people based on their perceived political support. There can be no other reason since the union and workers have broken no law, and the PPP government and its cohorts would not have done this to GAWU and NAACIE (sister unions in the traditional industrial sector) or have anyone do it to them.
Yours faithfully,
Carlton Sinclair
President Aroaima/
Kwakwani Branch
GB&GWU
