Sacked workers of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) and residents of Aroaima, Berbice River, are calling on the government to prevent the company from resuming operations here in light of its treatment of workers.
“Let them go! Let them go!” and “Let RUSAL go!” were the chants sung yesterday by workers and residents who were guarding a barrier across the river when Sunday Stabroek visited the community.
Frustrated by the company’s unwillingness to professionally negotiate a new wages and salary deal, residents of the riverine community joined the protest in solidarity.
The union and the RUSAL (Russian Aluminum)-owned BCGI have been in a decade-long labour dispute over a number of issues, including wages. Following strikes last year, the company signed an agreement to engage the union to find a solution but this never occurred.
Workers returned to protesting after 288 persons were laid off in January, which led to the erection of the barrier across the river.
At a meeting on Friday night, General Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) Lincoln Lewis encouraged the workers to remain strong and stand up for their rights.
Since January 23rd, workers and residents have been camping at the riverfront, keeping a watchful eye on the barrier. They have received reports that plans are afoot by persons recruited by RUSAL to cut the barrier.
“We are out here sleeping in the dew under trees, on tractors, on hardwood under people’s homes and camping out here during the day to ensure no one troubles this barrier here. We have to stand up for our rights. This is our country and we have to fight for our rights,” GB&GWU Branch Secretary Leslie Junor said yesterday.
The barges remained docked at the loading wharf yesterday and operations remain suspended. Only security guards and power plant engineers remain at the site of operations at Aroaima.
In a makeshift camp, a number of persons had congregated yesterday and Junor explained that it is where most people sleep at nights and where they cook meals for persons who have been camping there. Hammocks were also observed to be hung under nearby homes and under trees.
“We are not giving up this fight. RUSAL must go. They cannot come here and make their determinations. It doesn’t work so here,” one worker said, while explaining that the actions of RUSAL not only affects workers but has an effect on families in New Amsterdam, Berbice and Linden, Upper Demerara. In addition to them, shops in the community of Aroaima have seen a significant decrease in business since the layoffs.
Ivan Leacock, who has been working as a crane operator since the arrival of RUSAL in 2004, told Stabroek News that the company was working to create what he described as a modern day slavery organisation. “They want to introduce us to a modern slavery organisation but we won’t stand for it… We are being paid less than what our colleagues are being paid in the industry. We are asking that they bring us up to that stage. That is what we have been asking for. But they [BGCI’s management] are not following the laws. The Russians are making the labour laws. But we won’t take it. Let them go if they have to. We have the capacity to manage this and do the work here but the government needs to find the market,” said Leacock, who has been working for the past 27 years in the bauxite industry.
He added that the actions of BCGI shows that they do not care for the workers and are unwilling to pay any increase higher than one per cent. On this note, he lashed out at the Labour Department, calling its approach to RUSAL’s actions “soft.”
He stated that the officials at the Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour need to act in the interest of their fellow Guyanese and be firm when negotiating with BCGI.
‘They need to respect us’
Another frustrated worker, Ephraim (only name given), who works as a Heavy Duty Truck Operator, said that “RUSAL has to follow our laws. This is our country and if they can’t do so, it is time that they pack up and go. They need to respect us.”
He explained that some workers who have been sacked have refused to accept the severance pay as they are unsure of how the calculations were done and are waiting on the Department of Labour to pronounce on it. At a meeting last week, the Department requested a spreadsheet of all the payments from the company to check the formula used to calculate the severance package.
“Eight years I have been working with them. I made the sacrifice to leave my family and work with this company only to see they are violating our laws. We cannot accept this; if we do there will be a repeat again, [and] we don’t want that,” the worker said. “We don’t want them to reinstate us. We want them to go.”
Steve Cornette, who works as a Mechanic, said the effects of the firing of 326 workers has been detrimental on the community.
“Many businesses in this community, which are the small shops, sell items on credit. Now that the workers are fired, they are asking for their money. Some people cannot afford to pay off because they have other commitments,” he explained.
He added the salaries being paid to them might seem high but when it is placed against the price for commodities they do not work out to much. Commodities in the community are retailed at a higher price due to their remote location.
“They want to pay us a chicken feed salary and the cost of living is expensive. When we object to that, they fire us,” he said.
Cornette is of the opinion that the Labour Department is not fighting hard enough for the workers and in both past and present governments has failed them.
“It is a disgrace that the government and the labour department is doing nothing to properly help us. They are asking RUSAL to reinstate us but that will only work for a few mornings and then they would fire us again,” he lamented.
The workers believe that with the amount and quality of bauxite produced daily, they should have enjoyed better working conditions and higher salaries.
Community leader Victor Kersting told Sunday Stabroek that every neighbouring community has been affected by the actions of RUSAL. He stated that prior to bauxite production in the community, many people depended on logging and fishing for their survival. He added that logging in the community has reduced significantly and the concession areas have all been logged out. “I don’t know where else the people will turn now,” he stated.
He, however, said that should a new company take over the operations, the prospect for them is better since there are several other bauxite mining sites in the community available.
Kersting also opined that the methods utilized for BCGI’s mining are not efficient and had they done the mining right their production could have been higher and of a better quality.
He further lamented that in the years of the company’s presence in the community, they have failed to fulfill their corporate social responsibility. He explained that the community cannot access the medical facility managed by the company and children in the community have no recreational facility. He stated that the company was expected to establish these facilities.
Kurubuku Road
Additionally, residents of Hururu, on the left bank of the Berbice River where the Kurubuku Mines are situated, have also complained of the company’s neglect in addressing their social concerns and the community has joined the workers and neighbouring residents in the call for RUSAL to wind up its operations.
Under an agreement signed, the company had agreed to maintain the Kurubuku Road but for the past three years it has not done so and the road which is used to transport school children to the Kwakwani Secondary has been rapidly deteriorating.
Deputy Toshao Leon Osborne told Sunday Stabroek s that the company stopped maintaining the road after they opened a new road behind the Aroaima community.
“They have completely ignored this road and because of lack of maintenance the road is eating away every day. They left the road in this condition and they have not looked back at it,” the Toshao said.
Meanwhile, Renita Ignatius, another resident Hururu, said because of the layoff of the workers the Aroaima Nursery had to cancel its extracurricular activities planned for the children in observance of Mashramani and Valentine’s Day. She said the company would normally assist in the execution of these programmes but since it has suspended operations the event have been cancelled.
Lewis on Friday said the laid back approach taken by the Department of Labour shows of their “incompetence” in addressing urgent labour matters.
A visibly-frustrated Lewis told reporters at a press conference that the Department of Labour has failed to aggressively find a solution to the matter and he singled out junior Minister of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour Keith Scott, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and Consultant to the Labour Department Francis Carryl.
“Ogle, Scott and the others in there are incompetent. That’s the story—a bunch of incompetent men who are working for the employer against the state,” an upset Lewis declared.
“Nobody wants to hold RUSAL (Russian Aluminum) accountable for their acts here since they came here. From Bharrat Jagdeo [failed] but the only one that tried was [former President Donald] Ramotar and Amna Ally tried weakly last week and she start to run away. We have to stop running away from the people,” Lewis stressed.
On Thursday, police attempted to remove the barricade across the river and this resulted in a standoff. The barricade across the river was put in place to prevent BCGI’s barges from passing.
As a result, barges belonging to BCGI have been docked at their wharf close to the mine site and unable to travel to New Amsterdam to offload.
Region 10 Commander Superintendent Hugh Winter on Thursday had told Stabroek News that upon returning to the area, police were greeted by a hostile crowd. He explained that residents and workers are upset that they were trying to remove the barrier across the river.
According to Winter, lawmen were forced to stand down to keep the crowd calm and maintain the peace.
Armed and unarmed ranks were posted to the area to monitor the situation. On Wednesday evening, the police had removed ropes and drums used to block the river.
