The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) last Wednesday took its case to London where – at a national symposium, it gained support for its fight for the rights of the bauxite workers it represents at a RUSAL-run company.

Last Wednesday, the union said in a press release yesterday, in its continued pursuit to ensure the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) – a subsidiary of Russia’s RUSAL and the Government of Guyana respect bauxite workers’ rights to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, GB&GWU made its case before the Black and Ethnic Advisory Committee of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) in London, United Kingdom.

In the symposium organized by RMT to address this issue, Norman Browne, the Union’s UK representative made a presentation that highlighted the plight of the bauxite workers and the government’s response to the transgressions, the statement said.

It said that in presenting the Union’s position on the 10 month-old dispute, Browne pointed out the “evident” transgression of Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Act (1997) which says “When a trade union obtains a certificate of recognition for workers comprised in a bargaining unit in accordance with this Part, the employer shall recognise the union, and the union and the employer shall bargain in good faith and enter into negotiations with each other for the purpose of collective bargaining.”

According to the statement, Browne highlighted the violation of the rights of the 57 workers who were placed on the breadline without due process.

He also apprised the audience of the Minister of Labour’s responsibility under the Labour Laws of Guyana, and the concerns of the union at the tardiness of the said Minister in resolving the dispute, “a dispute that has now become the longest running in the history of Guyana”.

Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine of the Working People’s Alliance also spoke at the event and gave a historical perspective on the development of the trade union movement in Guyana and the political interference that saw a decline in the vibrancy of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and its umbrella unions, the statement said.

“Attendees at the symposium made known their concerns about the deterioration in Guyana and have given the commitment to the Union to stand by it in its struggle for the protection of rights and the upholding of the rule of law”, it added. According to the statement, leaders and representatives from several organizations in the UK were in attendance; among them were Tongarara Danni of the Pan African Voice in London and Kwabena Gyakye of the UK’s branch of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP).

Meantime, the statement said that on August 13, the leadership of the Union comprising Leslie Gonsalves and Carlton Sinclair along with General Secretary of the GTUC, Norris Witter, met with Labour Minister, Manzoor Nadir to discuss the impasse. “The Minister reaffirmed to the Union that the GB&GWU is still the recognized bargaining agent for workers employ at BCGI. He also gave his commitment that he is prepared to fulfill the agreement he made on June 18 with the Geneva based International Federa-tion of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) to convene meeting between the union and the company with a view to have the issue resolved”, the statement said.

It added that in the meanwhile the Union continues to take its fight against injustice to every corner of the globe. It remains steadfast in ensuring that the rights of each and every worker is respected and will not relent until such is achieved, the statement said.