The Guyana Sugar Corporation and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) will meet on Friday having decided on an arbitrator to review the case of a Skeldon estate employee who was sacked after an altercation with the manager.
Former Chief Labour Officer Mohamed Akeel’s name was formally proposed by GAWU and after deliberations yesterday during a meeting with the Labour Ministry, GuySuCo agreed. The Memorandum of Agreement between the two parties states that the cost of the tribunal will be shared between GAWU and GuySuCo. Akeel will “enquire into the disciplinary action taken against Mr (Stephen Daniels) and having regard to the evidence and submission by the parties to make an award as the arbitrator deems fit.”
Speaking briefly to Stabroek News yesterday, Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Charles Ogle said that it was clear that both
parties were looking “to exhaust the grievance procedures” and it was not surprising that the matter was referred to an arbitration tribunal.
Ogle had recommended at conciliation talks that Daniels be reinstated and paid for the time he was off the job. This was however rejected by GuySuCo, triggering the move to arbitration.
Daniels’ dismissal had sparked a debilitating strike at Skeldon which led to other acts such as the burning of cane. It was finally agreed under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour that his dismissal would be withdrawn and he would be considered suspended without pay pending the conciliation talks.
The Corporation said that its subsequent rejection of the CLO’s recommendation is based on the availability of statements by workers and staff who presented evidence that the Estate Manager was neither under the influence of alcohol nor confrontational towards Daniels, and that on the contrary, it was Daniels who was aggressive towards the Manager, which led to him physically assaulting the Manager.
GAWU had expressed disgust and frustration after GuySuCo rejected the CLO’s recommendations. Chand had stated that it was “a bit absurd that the penalty, suspension was applied, one cannot be suspended indefinitely…and there was no logical timeframe given,” for Daniels’ suspension.
He said that GuySuCo was following “no logical framework” in terms of industrial relations.
He had stated that workers were “peeved…They should treat the matter with the necessary importance as they ought to. It is showing how GuySuCo could just be callous and they don’t care a damn you can imagine so many other matters they treat like this. This is why workers have to resort to strike.”
According to the Memorandum of Agree-ment the “award of the tribunal shall be final and binding on the parties.”
Akeel was CLO from 1993-2009. He told Stabroek News that he spent his career at the Labour Ministry. He has extensive knowledge of the sugar sector and industrial relations.
The former CLE published a book “The Rights of Employers and Employees in Guyana,” in 2009.
