The Department of Labour of the Ministry of Social Protection is to conciliate in a dispute between GuySuCo and GAWU at Blairmont pertaining to a controversial promotion.
A release yesterday from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) said that the Department of Labour on Tuesday invited the union and GuySuCo to a meeting regarding the protest actions by the factory workers of Blairmont Estate which resumed on October 21.
GAWU said that following explanations that it and GuySuCo provided at the meeting, it was agreed that the dispute would be addressed by the Ministry at the conciliation level with the Parties.
Towards restoring normalcy at the estate, the parties inked a Terms of Resumption agreement. As a result, workers of the factory returned to work yesterday morning. The Union and the Corporation also agreed to meet at conciliation, under the Chairmanship of the Labour Department, on October 30 at 2 pm when arguments will be presented by the parties.
“The Union and the workers are hopeful that the conciliatory proceedings will ensure that justice is meted out and the Corporation would respect its own long-standing procedures and practices. The workers have shared the view that their demands are principled and just and all they seek is fair and equitable treatment”, the union release said.
GAWU said that factory workers had resumed protest action following an unsuccessful meeting between the union and GuySuCo on Monday.
The union maintained that the corporation failed to advertise the vacancy as required by their own personnel manual therefore preventing other qualified workers from applying and being considered.
“The workers also pointed out that the Corporation would usually advertise opportunities for promotion to allow interested and qualified workers to apply. In this case, the workers shared this wasn’t done…in fact during a visit to the factory by union officials we observed a dated notice informing of a vacancy at the estate,” the statement said.
Additionally the workers accused company management of declaring it the “right” of the company executives to veto the policy.
“It brings into question the usefulness of this and any other policy and agreement if it can be ignored and altered at the whims and fancies of those who are charged with upholding them,” the union stressed arguing that the unusual nature of these actions was made clear by both old and current vacancy ads displayed on the factory site including a notice asking interested workers to submit applications to be tested for purposes of promotion.
