Dear Editor,
The letter from the Press Attaché of the Russian Embassy (‘BCGI abides by the laws of the country’ SN, March 11) seeking to establish the adherence of the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) to Guyana’s laws is noteworthy. He stated that BCGI abides by the laws of the country. The Russians like the Chinese have developed a worldwide reputation for just the opposite. While the Chinese travel with their own contingent of workers, the Russians like the old imperialists, flourish on cheap labour. They can do so and still claim to be upholding the laws because host governments support their behaviour. What is absent from their discourse is their moral responsibility to be fair to local labour.
For example, the minimum wage in Guyana is $35,000.00 per month. A company can hire a certified engineer and offer her this minimum wage. This would be well within the law but reprehensible and exploitative in comparative terms to the company’s profits which are likely to be computed in US dollars. It is on this premise that I understand the Russian position. In other terms, as long as they don’t send thugs armed with sticks to crush the bauxite union, they will not be operating outside of the law. They feel that they are free to ignore their responsibilities to the union and the people that it represents.
Does modern Russia, like the Soviet Union of old, want the workers of the world to unite? Do they still champion the proletariat? Given their current track record in respect of the treatment of labour they may as well bury Lenin and while they are at it, invite the PPP government, another erstwhile supporter of the ‘proletariat,’ to do the same.
Yours faithfully,
Keith G Branch
