With a continuing stalemate between government and Rusal-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) on resolving the ongoing strike by workers, Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally yesterday said she was convinced that the dispute is heading for arbitration.
“We are going to go there. I am sure we are going to go there,” Ally told the Stabroek News last night when asked for an update on the matter and the possibility of arbitration.
Ally said that there were no new developments since the last meeting with company representatives on the way forward, while noting that government is not going to acquiesce to the company’s demands, which include that the matter not be covered by the press and that the unions not be involved.
She noted that the company has submitted its terms for the resumption of operations without considering the terms proposed by the workers’ union.
“You are telling them not to block the river but they don’t want to reinstate the workers? It is humanly impossible… none of our terms they considered and we are in a stalemate,” Ally explained.
Ally said that the company was asked to submit proposals for resolving the dispute with workers but instead submitted demands. “It is not proposals. What it is was to ask that the union is not involved, that the river must be unblocked and their terms. None of our terms they are considering…. How do you tell the media not to deal with the matter?” she said.
In mid-February, workers began striking to protest the imposition of a unilateral 1% hike in wages from the Rusal subsidiary. Since then operations at the company’s mining concession at Aroaima have been halted and company has dismissed 90 striking workers.
Following the company’s rejection of the workers’ demands, including negotiating with is union, the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU), workers blocked the Berbice River, preventing barges transporting bauxite from traversing the river.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) yesterday reported Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott, calling for the workers to be reinstated before further discussions.
“The issues can’t be settled if you have reinstatement today. However, reinstatement today is the beginning of the first step, and then from there, as mature people, internationally as well as locally, we can now sit down and say, let us work out a modus vivendi,” Scott was quoted saying.
The DPI report stated that the government has sent proposals to both Rusal and the unions to outline their grievances in writing.
At present, the workers are still blocking the Berbice River. They have also implemented a shift system in which they monitor the movements on the river.
“The workers are preparing for the long struggles and have organised themselves into groups and will be protesting in day and night at Maple Town,” GB&GWU General Secretary Lincoln Lewis said.
He related that earlier in the day he met with workers and updated them on what has been transpiring at the meetings. “They basically wanted to hear from the union and have made it clear they are encouraged by the support of the government and Minister Ally on their position. They also noted that they will be disappointed if the minister or the union recuse themselves from any discussion,” he said.
Lewis pointed out that the workers are looking towards arbitration and indicated that he will be “camping out with the workers” tonight on the riverfront.
Meanwhile, Leslie Junor, one of the workers and also Secretary of the GB&GWU, yesterday said that workers are hopeful of a resolution. He noted that they have all realised the sacrifice they are making and have committed to continue with the industrial action until their working conditions are improved.
“We have realised that we are too far on the battlefield to withdraw now. We need to send a message because if we withdraw, those who come behind us will work under worse conditions,” he stressed.
He noted that they are expected to meet with Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and a team from government over the weekend.
In addition, Junor related that they have observed a coast guard boat surveying the blocked passageway yesterday. He noted that pictures were taken but no word was uttered to them by the coastguardsmen.
On February 19th, BCGI Personnel Officer Mikhail Krupenin and RUSAL representative Vladimir Permyakov met with the Department of Labour and confirmed to the media that they sacked 60 workers after their decision to protest. Permyakov had explained that certain clauses in the workers’ contracts prevents them from taking industrial action, which the ministry and the union both say is illegal. Despite meeting with government ministers, who have urged the reinstatement of the sacked workers, Permyakov has said the company would not be reinstating them. The company subsequently fired 30 more workers.
