Some staff of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) yesterday picketed outside of the agency’s Brickdam headquarters to renew their call for increased wages.
Workers had engaged in strike action last year before terms of resumption were agreed upon while negotiations between their union, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), and the GGMC’s management continued.
According to GPSU Senior Industrial Relations Officer Dennis English, the strike action yesterday came as a result of the GGMC breaching the terms of resumption.
He explained that the union had given GGMC a timeframe to have the matter resolved. However, the timeframe expired on the 31st of December and nothing has been resolved.
He further explained that the union had informed GGMC that the workers would resume their strike if the matter was not addressed. The union then met with the staff and they collectively came to a decision to strike. He also said that the workers will continue to strike until demands are met.
For its part, the GGMC yesterday deemed the strike “illegal,” while noting that negotiations were still ongoing.
“The [GGMC] has honoured the terms and conditions of the signed Terms of Resumption of Work and has worked assiduously and tirelessly to achieve amicable resolution to the issues,” it said in a statement.
It added that it has reiterated the need to abide by the standing agreement between the union and GGMC for the recognition and avoidance and settlements of disputes, which clearly identifies the steps to be taken to resolve the current issues. It added that deviating from these procedures can be construed as acts of bad faith, especially since discussions and engagements were ongoing between the union and the Commission.
Despite the strike, the GGMC assured that all necessary systems will be put in place so that the commission’s work is not unjustifiably disrupted.
