Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) says it has corrected a defect in its sawmill and will soon resume operations and re-engage the 45 workers it was forced to temporarily layoff.
This was communicated to officials of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) when they met with DTL personnel on Monday, a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources said.
The GFC has also requested that the company prepare a comprehensive business plan since it was found that it was operating at less than 40% of total harvesting capacity. The release said that the business plan will determine whether the company’s forestry lease will be renewed by the Commission.
The changes to the sawmill were in keeping with Occupational Health & Safety regulations. The release said that the company told the GFC that once the green light is given operations will resume and the affected employees who are currently receiving part payment will be reinstalled.
The meeting between the GFC and the timber company was ordered by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman following a visit by himself and Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes to DTL’s Mabura Hill, Region 10 location recently. The ministers had made an unannounced visit to the location after a report in the Guyana Chronicle that the jobs of 45 workers were in limbo. The release said that while company official Kwangsiong Chuo had assured the Government Ministers that the workers were being paid part of their salaries and were not in danger of losing their jobs, senior officials of the company were invited to a meeting with GFC for a full examination of its operations here.
The laying off of the workers followed a December 10, 2015 inspection of its location by a team led by Broomes where it was found that the company was in breach of Chapter 99 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Among the issues raised by Broomes, and which was communicated to DTL in writing, was the fact that a sawmill operator was operating a lever without adequate safety provisions. Upon instruction, the release said that the company stopped its operations to rectify the breaches and all employees were paid 50% of their salaries between December 19th, 2015 and January 3rd, 2016. From January 8th, 2016, the release said that the 45 affected workers received 30% of their salaries as per agreement with their union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU).
During the meeting with the GFC, the company’s officials advised that the major safety issue was rectified with a “guard” housing put in place to ensure the safety of the worker. The company is now awaiting the go ahead from the Ministry of Social Protection to re-commence work.
