Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) workers were yesterday joined by the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) on the picket line as they continued strike action over non-payment of their pay increases.
Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) President Patrick Yarde told Stabroek News that strike action will continue to intensify, unless there is agreement on terms of resumption. He expressed confidence in reaching an agreement with GGMC, based on recent discussions between the GPSU and GGMC. Yarde said the strike did not have to happen.
“I am often very upset when workers have to make such sacrifices… for justice from a government that claims to be working class…,” said Yarde, as he explained that for every day the workers are off the job, they are losing pay. He also called on the government to be more sensitive to the concerns of the workers, citing the three-year-old unresolved collective agreement with GGMC. However, the GPSU president expressed hope that the matter will be speedily resolved.
Also speaking with this newspaper yesterday from the picket lines in front of GGMC’s Brickdam office, was GWMO President Simona Broomes. She said the GWMO’s involvement was automatic, since “we are miners” and business is affected. She noted that as long as the affected workers continue strike action, there will be a crisis in the mining sector.
“This [the crisis] is not only happening in Georgetown, where the offices are closed, but in the interior locations there are no mines officers at most of the stations,” she said.
She mentioned that GWMO had problems at Imbaimadai which are yet to be resolved, Bartica, Mahdia and in Port Kaituma and can therefore not proceed with business as usual.
Broomes said that the strike has caused miners losses in the millions and as a result the GWMO engaged GPSU and the workers following a call by the latter, to explain the situation faced by the workers. She said during that engagement, she was shown the agreement that was made between GPSU and GGMC on behalf of the workers. “I saw the agreement and that the agreement was signed by the chairman of the [GGMC] board and I am saying that they should honour the agreement that is signed… so that the workers could go back to work and our businesses could continue…,” Broomes said.
Broomes called on Minister of Labour Dr Nanda Gopaul, “because we were told and we saw the document signed by the [GGMC] board and sent to the minister. So we are calling on the minister to sign the agreement that is before him…”
Pointing out that the workers and union engaged the GWMO, Broomes opined that Gopaul “could have done the same. They owe it to us to tell us something, the minister has to tell us something.”
She said the GGMC has also not engaged the GWMO. She said inquiries made to address her organisation’s concerns were fruitless. However, she said the GWMO will be writing to the Labour Minister, expressing the concerns of the organisation.
Meanwhile, GGMC workers were lined up in front of the GGMC’s headquarters, carrying placards that echoed their plight: “No business no work!” “Mining sector in crisis, pay GGMC staff increase now.”
The protest commenced at 8 am, broke for lunch at 12 noon and resumed from 1 pm until 4 pm.
In a letter, dated January 12, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle had advised acting General Secretary of the GPSU Deborah Murphy to bring the strike to an immediate end, while noting the union’s actions may be in breach of the extant Collective Labour Agreement with the GGMC and would therefore be illegal.
The GPSU has since stated that the industrial action is lawful and has pledged to support the workers until they are paid their increase.
The workers commenced strike action last November for five days before resuming work after terms of resumption were agreed, including the payout of an 8% interim increase in salaries. However, strike action resumed on January 7, as a result of the GGMC breaching the terms of resumption.
