Two days following the electrocution of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Technician, Vijai Gaznabbi at Vryheid’s Lust, the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU) has pilloried the telephone company over the practice of having technicians working alone.
When contacted yesterday, a GT&T official stated that the company would be releasing a response to the statement.
Gaznabbi, 26, of Lot 33 Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, came into contact with a live wire, while conducting his work on a utility pole at Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara on Monday. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was rushed.
The GPTWU press statement through the body’s president Harold Shepherd, stated that the union continues to be outraged with the management of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), over the decade-old imposition of what they term, “One man Team.”
Moreover, the statement said that GT&T has developed the practice of promoting technicians to engineers, “busting the union” and leaving a void within the supervisory level of management, “since those persons promoted are doing the same jobs as Network Technicians 1 and 2 and there remains no effective supervision.”
Furthermore, GPTWU noted that the position taken by GT&T, “continues to create inefficiency and numerous breaches as it relates to working conditions.”
Citing the death of Gaznabbi, who fell from a ladder, after being electrocuted on a utility pole, at Vryheid’s Lust, while working, the union said that “the callous and lackadaisical attitude displayed by the Company not only demotivates its employees, but it’s a breach of all the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, as set forth by the Occupational Health and Safety Laws of Guyana.”
In addition, GPTWU charged that accidents continue to happen as “Technicians continue to work singly –driving, fetching ladders, going into junction box, climbing electric poles, stairs and buildings, without any assistance.”
While announcing the commencement of action by the union to “force” the management of GT&T to comply with the laws. The release added that the union “implores the management to review its position of having Technicians work alone and more so, within high risk areas, in addition to climbing GPL poles with high voltage wires.
“The Company continues to force upon Technicians maximum jobs per day without providing the necessary manual assistance.”
Today a vigil will be held by the union, in front of GT&T, Lot 79 Brickdam, Georgetown, at 08:30hrs the release further mentioned.
