Dear Editor,
It is now 17 months and counting since the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) has illegally decided not to engage the recognized union, the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU), which is a violation of the Trade Union Recognition Law. The Minister of Labour though many times publicly acknowledging the union remains the recognized bargaining agent for workers at BCGI, has refused to take any tangible measures to bring BCGI to the table to honour its legal obligation. Every reason that was manufactured by him to justify BCGI’s illegal action has been removed, and even though the union has requested that he activates Section 4 of the labour law and impose arbitration, he is finding all sorts of reasons not to. Recently he informed the media that all the options are still on the table in the hope workers and the media will be fooled.
As this letter is being penned Messrs Linden Prince and Orin Forde of the BCGI-formed Workers Committee are passing out forms to workers at Aroarima and Kwakwani to sign up to form a new union. On March 16 they were provided with company transportation and time off from work to go and sign up the workers. This same Linden Prince was written to on February 18, 2011, by the Trade Union Recognition Board, informing him that the GB&GWU remains the recognized union. Minister Nadir is aware of what is happening.
The Government of Guyana in addition to being part owner of BCGI is also the custodian of the laws and their involvement in acts to deny bauxite workers their rights consistent with the law, tells of the discriminatory policy they apply towards some workers. The BCGI/GB&GWU dispute is the longest running, made even more discriminatory given the fact that the laws are in favour of the workers and the minister is refusing to do anything about it.
While Minister Nadir can provide for his wife and family on earnings he receives from the taxpayers, for the last 17 months he is aware that dozens of bauxite workers are finding it hard to eke out a basic living to provide for their wives and children. He looks his family in the face at mealtimes, fully aware that bauxite families have little or go without because of his refusal to enforce the law.
The bauxite story is a reminder that walking among us there are still heartless people and abusers of authority. Some also tell us we have now lived to see that the PPP and their unions were never working class, but only mouthed ‘working class’ to get solidarity from us in their pursuit of power. Every day someone gives us a reason for this unjust treatment which we take in stride as we remain resolute in our fight for justice.
During the 2009 Christmas season Minister Nadir gave his reason for not settling the dispute as hoping the workers will use the season to reflect even as he was aware that 64 workers, could not celebrate Christmas. Christmases have since past and another is coming and nothing is being done to settle the dispute.
Bauxite workers are experiencing conditions of life not of their making but which are being imposed upon them by a government that targets them to the point of breaking the law to achieve their end. No way would they have done this to sugar workers or allow any other government to do this to them. And this would be the correct thing to do. After first taking away our tax free overtime and maintaining it in sugar, the next move was to destroy our pension plan, then the next to seek to break up the union and after failing there they are now giving support to BCGI’s illegal actions.
Many have asked, how our faith has not wavered over the years. The answer is that while the struggle is long and gruelling, we remain undaunted and energized because the arc bends toward justice. We shall overcome because good always prevails.
Yours faithfully,
Carlton Sinclair
President
GB&GWU Aroarima/Kwakwani
Branch