The union representing workers of the RUSAL-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) says that it will not accept less than what its current agreement with the company states and if the company feels that working in Guyana is not profitable and it cannot pay workers their due, then it should pack up and leave this country.
“The union is not prepared to breach the agreement we signed with BCGI and we are prepared to honour it to the letter; we will not relent,” General Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) Lincoln Lewis told Stabroek News in an interview.
“Industrial relations has nothing to do with RUSAL’s attitude, nothing. The question of the industrial relations issue is a red herring by the company. Nobody called for labour stoppage. All we are saying is honour the contract. You can’t come to an agreement then don’t want to go to arbitration. If you are confident you are doing so bad, go to the arbitration panel and convince them that you can’t pay,” he added.