The statements made by Dr Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, carried in Stabroek News (November 27) on the impasse between RUSAL and GB&GWU on negotiations for increased wages and improved working conditions for workers at Aroaima and Kwakwani are revealing. It is even more revealing since the 2005 Agreement signed by RUSAL and the Government of Guyana which stipulated conditions for the acquisition of the state bauxite company is yet to be honoured. RUSAL’s breach of the agreement is either unscrupulous or has the tacit approval of this government, which apparently is doing nothing to hold this company accountable in the same manner as they are being allowed to break our laws, transgress rights and run roughshod over Guyanese labour in the bauxite industry. “He who does it through another, does it himself,” and today there is no doubt that the Guyana government is making another attempt to destroy the union of bauxite workers, undermine and invoke harsh conditions for the workers of the bauxite industry through a company with a track record of shameful industrial practices which can be accessed by the click of a mouse.
RUSAL is known for its unprincipled tactics, failure to honour laws and agreements and involvement in illegal acts. On March 26, 2008, RUSAL workers in Russia struck for increased wages and the company responded by closing the mines and paying non-striking workers reduced wages. It issued a statement calling the strikers terrorists, said the strike was illegal and threatened court action.
The current strike at Aroaima has seen a similar response with an attack on our laws and the rights of workers, an indefinite closure of the company, suspension and dismissal of workers, and a half-day’s pay to non-strikers. It should be noted the communities in Russia and Guyana are built around the industry which are their major source of income. It is evident that because of this dependency on the industry for the communities’ lifeline and sustenance RUSAL think they can starve or punish workers and their families into submission.
In September 2009 the Republic of Guinea’s Tribunal ruled RUSAL had unlawfully acquired shareholding control of an alumina refinery and ordered the company to make restitution. In Nigeria the National Committee on Privatisation recommended the revocation of RUSAL’s concession because of its violation of the Privatisation Rules and Investments. In Guyana the government ignores RUSAL’s transgressions and violation of contracts.
In June when workers struck against poor occupational health and safety standards the company responded by punishing the workers and suing union leaders for US$300,000 in compensation. This is the first time in Guyana’s history workers have been taken to court for exercising their right to protect themselves against unsafe working conditions. It’s noteworthy that the Minister of Labour who has responsibility for ensuring the enforcement of the Occupation Health and Safety law did nothing about RUSAL’s transgression of the laws, choosing instead to remain silent.
RUSAL’s statement (SN, November 27) that it has the right to hire and fire is a right of every management but this right is confirmed within the framework of a collective bargaining agreement and the labour laws. The workers of RUSAL have rights too, and these are enshrined in the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) signed by the company and the union which outlines the condition(s) under which a worker can be fired.
Under the Laws of Guyana a CLA is legal and binding. RUSAL therefore cannot be allowed to disregard the CLA and be supported by the government, unless their agenda is one. Government must not be allowed to ignore RUSAL’s contempt for our laws, speaking out only in defence of the company’s finances and chastising workers for standing up for their rights. Without opposition and a civic outcry against these violations of our most vulnerable, of our constitution, laws, conventions and time-honoured principles, RUSAL and government will continue to trample on these universal principles.
The position this government continues to take against the African work force and its support of those whose actions militate against these workers leaves one to conclude that these are calculated and deliberate. The deliberateness of this policy is reinforced when comparison is made with the recent handling of the sugar workers’ strike where government moved to activate the law to bring about a resolution between employer and employee. GuySuCo employees were not chastised by the government as happened in the case of the bauxite workers and a foreign investor. Why, therefore, is this government so comfortable with a foreign company transgressing Guyana’s law when the rights of Guyanese are being trampled upon?
As events unfold daily in Guyana where government continues to support acts transgressing the rights of African Guyanese I am forced to ask how much more must Africans tolerate before this government is held accountable by citizens of this nation, by civic society and the political opposition? When will enough be enough? Or will we wait until it is too late when all are consumed?
Yours faithfully,
Lincoln Lewis
