Thirteen days into industrial action at the RUSAL-owned bauxite mining company, BCGI, disgruntled workers have blocked the Berbice River, preventing the company’s barges from transporting bauxite.
The workers, who began striking on February 15, following the imposition of a unilateral 1% increase in wages by the company, along with other unaddressed issues, including BCGI’s unwillingness to recognise the union as the workers’ bargaining agent, said the move is to signal to the company the need for urgency in finding a resolution.
The RUSAL-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), in the last few days, fired 90 workers following the initiation of strike action. They had initially fired 60 workers but subsequently fired an additional 30 on Tuesday.
As a result, workers strung oil barrels and jars on wires across the Berbice River, blocking the passage of barges leaving and entering the mining site at Aroaima, Berbice River.
The river was blocked since Tuesday afternoon and currently, there are three barges waiting to leave the mining site, a union representative related on Wednesday. Of the three barges, he said one is empty and as a result of the action, the shipments have been thrown off schedule.
There has been no word from maritime authorities on action taken to clear the blockage.
“We get tired of the promises from the company so we decided to do this…We have got the support from the community here at Maple Town and we blocked the river,” the union representative told Stabroek News.
He noted that they were disappointed to learn that the company had no interest in rehiring the first 60 workers who were terminated three days after the protest.
The company had revealed its decision to not reinstate the previously sacked 60 workers, during a recent meeting which included Ministry of Social Protection ministers, Amna Ally and Keith Scott, the ministry’s Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, RUSAL representative, Vladimir Permyakov, and BCGI Personnel Officer, Mikhail Krupenin.
Speaking from the protest location on the Berbice River yesterday, a union representative said the response from RUSAL “is gross disrespect to the government and employees. This is nonsense and we cannot sit back and take this,” he stated.
The frustrated worker added, “We are now calling the shots. They are dragging on the government and the government is dragging on the people. RUSAL is proud of their attitude towards this situation, it is total disrespect.”
The employee further opined that in the interest of workers, it might be best that BCGI pull the plug on its operations if it has no intentions of improving workers’ wages and salaries.
“There are companies who are out there ready to come and take over and that might be better for us. These people at RUSAL do not care for their employees and they keep saying they are not making a profit. A company can take over and there will be a smooth transition,” the aggrieved worker said.
Minister Ally, when contacted last night, stated, “There is no update. Nothing has happen[ed]. I met with the union and briefed them on the discussions we had yesterday with RUSAL but we haven’t heard back from them…that is all.”
At the meeting yesterday, head of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union, Lincoln Lewis, said during the meeting with Ally, they suggested that the ministry begins the process of compulsory arbitration. The recommendation was noted and Ally, in response, promised to consider it.
Ally on Tuesday said that the government would have to examine the future of the Russian bauxite company here after it refused to reinstate the 60 dismissed workers and fired another 30.
