Striking Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) yesterday moved their continuing demonstrations to the front of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment as they called on Minister Robert Persaud to sign off on an agreement for 2014 wage increases.
Just under 50 workers turned up in front of the Ministry’s offices on Brickdam, holding placards and shouting: “No money, and no work,” “We fed up of the same thing, over and over,” and “Pay today, work tomorrow.”
Their protest action yesterday caught the attention of many passing motorists, who slowed down their vehicles to give their support by joining in the workers’ chants.
According to Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Industrial Relations Officer Jermaine Hermanstyne, management of the GGMC had made it clear that all decisions to pay lie with Persaud.
He also explained that the workers will continue to protest outside the ministry until Persaud signs off on what he said is an agreement by the management and the union for 2014’s increases that was prepared by a consultancy group, S V Jones and Associates.
“We have moved our protest.
We will protest there until the minister signs off on a document that is before him for almost two to three months now and that is the 2014 proposal…,” Hermanstyne said.
“We hope that the minister signs off on it. We would only expect that the minister would do what is decent…” he said, while calling on Persaud to act in the interest of workers.
When contacted for a comment yesterday on how the strike is affecting the GGMC’s operations, Commissioner Rickford Vieira said that management will be issuing a press statement today to address the situation.
Last Tuesday,
Some GGMC staffers resumed picketing outside of the GGMC’s Brickdam headquarters to renew their call for increased wages for 2013, which are still being negotiated, while accusing the GGMC of breaching the agreed terms of resumption by failing to resolve the matter by the 31st of December last year.
