The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) yesterday called for compulsory arbitration to settle its more than year-long dispute with the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) saying that it has had enough of the company and the government’s “cat and mouse” games and disrespect for bauxite workers rights.
In a statement yesterday the union said that a meeting it had scheduled for Wednesday with Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir to resolve the issue with BCGI did not occur because the minister was reportedly at another meeting.
“The Union was then advised of a rescheduled meeting for Thursday 13th January at 9:00 and turned up for same. At the 13th meeting the Minister met with the Union and advised that he has been unable to meet with BCGI and as such there isn’t anything he can say which will move the process forward,” the release stated.
According to the union, it is yet to be convinced about the minister’s sincerity in being unable to make the Wednesday meeting since at the subsequent meeting he said that he ha not met the company and was unable to determine the next step.
“Enough is enough. Every day the evidence bears out that this matter is one of collaboration between the government and company, the refusal of the minister to enforce the laws, or contempt of this company for the Laws of Guyana and the rights of bauxite workers, none of which puts the Minister in a light of one who has taken his role seriously to uphold the Guyana Constitution and serve all the workers of this country whose taxes paying his salary and others benefits,” the GB&GWU said.
It added that to date Nadir has failed to enforce the laws to resolve the impasse with the company which dates back to May 2009 with the suspension of workers who protested unsafe working conditions.
According to the union, this escalated in November 2009 with the suspension and subsequent dismissal of 57 workers engaged in a strike for increased wages and improved working conditions, the June 2010 industrial accident that resulted in the death a worker and serious injuries to others, and the November 2010 dismissal of 4 workers whom were among others that protested the company’s insanitary kitchen.
“In neither of the instances stated did workers violate the laws, a fact the Minister is aware of yet refuses to act. This is more than enough for any class of worker to have to suffer while a government sits on its laurels and refuses to act, even as it moves with speed to ensure justice is served in other sectors of the workforce,” the GB&GWU charged.
It added that it is also evident BCGI is not prepared to honour the bilateral engagements agreed to in the January 6 meeting held with the minister, union and company.
“While the government supports the disrespect of the company, the Union will hold the Government’s feet to the fire since it is duty bound to serve the people of this nation, and bauxite workers will not rest until they get what is justly theirs.
The union stated that BCGI’s disrespect for the workers’ rights and the nation’s laws, coupled with the enabling posture of government has caused GB&GWU to inform the minister that: the process to bring about a resolution is slow and hindered by the disrespect for the laws and the lack of commitment of the other party(ies)- Government and/or BCGI; that there exists the 1985 precedence of Compulsory Arbitration by the then Minister of Labour to bring a resolution to the impasse between Guyana
Agricultural & General Workers Union (GAWU) and GuySuCo; and as a result of the preceding “the Union is requesting Compulsory Arbitration.”
