Toolsie Persaud Ltd (TPL) on Wednesday accused the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) of misleading and misrepresenting the true position regarding the current industrial situation.
It cited the union’s claims in the Stabroek News story of September 9, 2008 captioned ‘NAACIE accuses Toolsie Persaud of frustrating workers’.
According to the company’s press release, TPL and NAACIE had agreed upon increases for the 2007-2009 period and the company has already paid up to the current year and will pay 2009 increases as agreed.
Therefore, TPL argued, the question of depriving workers of a reasonable living wage is irrelevant as the company has complied with the agreement that was reached with the union, the release said.
And TPL remarked that, “One cannot imagine that NAACIE has bargained for an unreasonable living wages. Is the union aware that our main competitors do not match our rates and conditions of employment, but the union seems reluctant or unable to have them unionized so that we all could be on a level playing field rather than singling out TPL for mischievous harassment in public.”
According to the company, it cannot comprehend what is ‘very revealing’ in an advertisement that seeks to recruit employees to meet the requirements of an expanding business. “This is the company’s absolute responsibility and legitimate democratic right to exercise in the expansion and development of all its business,” TPL added.
The company said too that the industrial action taken by the union was unwarranted in light of recent ongoing discussions that took place on 17th July, 26th July and 31st August while a fourth meeting that was scheduled for 3rd September was aborted by the strike.
The release said that those meetings were fixed for the mutual convenience of both parties and the union should have highlighted that it also had ongoing commitments at Linden, in Berbice, at Guysuco and with the Guyana Power and Light and so adjustments had to be made to suit its convenience and that of the company.
On the 16th July, the release continued, the union by letter listed five specific grievances and were given responses in each case. And in a telephone conversation on 1st September it was intimated that the union had several grievances and so was told to submit a list for examination but this list is still being awaited, TPL added.
According to the release, TPL resumed payment of the $400 meal allowance although there had been deliberate abuses in certain areas. On 1st September the company invited the union to a meeting fixed for 3rd September to continue negotiations but industrial action was taken the following day although the union had been fully aware that the meeting had already been scheduled.
Against that background, “Industrial action appears to have been the premeditated priority of the union,” TPL declared.
The company also pointed out that it is unaware that it had been profiling specific employees as no employee who is a union official “has immunity from disciplinary action, particularly for serious breaches that amount to gross dereliction of duties.” It should be noted, TPL pointed out, that the employee being referred to has admitted responsibility in writing.
Meanwhile, in relation to the employee who had been detained and charged by the police in connection with a fraud involving millions of dollars, the company stated that it has not been officially informed so far of an acquittal. Moreover, the employee has not reported for duty to date and consequently has been deemed absent from duty without leave and without report indefinitely could be considered as having voluntarily terminated his employment, TPL concluded.
