Non-management and supervisory staff of the Linden-based Bosai Minerals Group (Guyana) Inc (BMGGI) began strike and protest action yesterday over the company’s alleged insistence on paying them a 6% wage and salary increase for 2019, instead of the at least 8% or 9% increase they are asking for.
The industrial action triggered an immediate response from the Chinese-owned company, as some hours after, the company called a meeting, during which it offered employees a 7% increase for two years if they are willing to accept a two-year deal. This agreement would see wages and salaries increased by 7% for the periods April 2019 – March 2020, and April 2020 to March 2021.
The union representatives are slated to meet with the employees to ascertain whether they are minded to accept the proposal.
National Association of Agricultural, Commercial, and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) member and BOSAI employee, Neptrid Hercules, who was at the site of the protest, said protesters could be heard shouting “6% is not enough”, as they congregated at the north gate of the company’s operations in Linden.
NAACIE represents some 65% of Bosai’s non-management and supervisory staff.
Hercules told Stabroek News that the decision to commence strike and protest action was taken by workers during a meeting on Monday after negotiations which had been ongoing for the last three months broke down. The tipping point, Hercules said, was the company’s insistence that it cannot afford to increase wages and salaries by more than 6%.
Hercules said that a final effort to avoid protest action was made yesterday morning by meeting with the company, which did not change its position. He noted that the company indicated that if the employees are willing to negotiate a two-year increase, for 2019 and 2020, it is willing to pay increases of 6.5% for both years.
Hercules, however, said that the employees feel cheated after a two-year agreement reached in 2017 which saw the employees receiving a 6.5% across-the-board wages and salary increase for the periods April 2017 to March 2018, and April 2018 to March 2019. This agreement ensured stable industrial relations between the company and its employees for the last two years, but it has expired, and a new agreement must now be reached.
Hercules said that the employees are prepared to continue their industrial actions until their demands are met.
