General Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU) Lincoln Lewis says that his meeting last week with two visiting officials from United Company RUSAL, which has an 80 per cent stake in the operations of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) was a “hopeful sign” that the protracted tempestuous relationship between the company’s workers and the Russian management may have entered an environment where a better rapport may be possible.
“The meeting was cordial. I cannot go any further. There was a discussion and there is an understanding on both sides that there are problems to be addressed and that addressing those problems is a process,” Lewis told Stabroek Business.
The GB&GWU has been the bargaining agent for the workers at the Berbice bauxite operations long prior to RUSAL’s acquisition of the majority stake in the entity.