A government team yesterday met with striking bauxite workers at Maple Town, Aroaima and Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) Leslie Junor says that the workers hope that the issues including the reinstatement of 60 who were fired, can be resolved by Monday.
The workers began striking last week Friday after the imposition of a 1 per cent increase in wages, which they had claimed was unfair. Subsequently, 60 were fired. Faced with calls to take a stand and represent workers following the firing of the 60 Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) workers, a team of ministers met with company executives on Thursday and Minister of State Joseph Harmon emphasised that the workers must be respected, and the country’s labour laws upheld.
A team from the Ministry of Social Protection, including Minister Amna Ally, visited the striking workers at Maple Town yesterday.
According to Junor, who was present at the meeting, more than 300 workers and residents from the surrounding villages were in attendance and the workers presented their proposals on issues they want addressed. Ally assured that each of them would be raised and addressed, he said.
He said that the minister also made it clear that getting the dismissed workers back on the job is the paramount issue.
“Our priority is the recognition of the union and the resumption of the 60 workers that they claimed to have dismissed. Those were the top two items on the list but also we want the deplorable state of the transportation service to be fixed and we need to be paid even if the bus arrives late to bring us to camp since, as of now, we are not paid regardless of how late we leave,” Junor said. He added that they also want the deplorable conditions of their living quarters in Maple Town, to be fixed.
After listening to the workers’ complaints, Junor said, Ally gave them the assurance that each and every item raised will be addressed. She said that government is currently waiting on a response from BCGI’s parent company – Russian Aluminium (RUSAL).
Junor said now that the workers have finally been able to get a hearing from the government, they are hoping that they will see results soon and not continue to be pushed around by the Department of Labour and BCGI.
“We are hoping for results as early as Monday because it’s a packed weekend. They said that the representative from RUSAL [Sergey Kostyuk] is leaving the country tomorrow to consult and so we are hoping that by Monday, things will turn out differently,” the union officer said.
Currently, there are still more than 150 workers on strike, which is exclusive of the 60 that were terminated, and they are still on the camp site. However, he said that a small number would’ve left since they have their own personal obligations to tend to.
Junor also explained that the workers feel a sense of relief given the government intervention and they now feel as if the stalemate between the company and the union and workers will finally progress in a positive direction.
“This is the first time since RUSAL has been breaching the laws that it has reached this stage and given this kind of attention. All the other time it always went under the carpet and this is the first time there is a government intervention,” he said, while adding that they were unhappy at the pace with which the Department of Labour was moving. He said that the authorities had allowed the company to “stretch their legs too far.”
Despite the move by the government, Junor emphasised that the workers will not be budging until there are amicable solutions to their plight and the “company budges first.”
“They must recognise the union and they must come to the table,” he said.
As it relates to the unilateral 1 per cent increase imposed by the company, Junor said that they want nothing less than 25 per cent.
“We are here in the interior and working and even 15 per cent wouldn’t match the rate other companies are paying their people. This company needs to do much more than that too but as long as the union is recognised, and everything is in place, other things will fall in place as it relates to better working conditions,” he added.
The government team also delivered 61 hampers to the workers that were dismissed and according to Junor, while they individually declined them initially since there are other workers that are striking, they have since decided to divide the hampers for the workers at Kwakwani and Aroaima to support them in the coming days as the stalemate continues indefinitely.
