Dear Editor,
The article in Stabroek News dated December 17, 2009 captioned ‘Berbice bauxite talks in limbo,’ with a strap line which claimed, ‘-Tuesday meeting scrapped after company failed to show up’ is erroneous.
I would like to set the record straight by saying that there wasn’t any meeting scheduled by the Labour Department for Tuesday, December 15, 2009 between BCGI and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU).
Neither the management of BCGI nor the union visited the Ministry of Labour on Tuesday, December 14, [sic] 2009 in connection with any meeting.
Yours faithfully,
Yoganand Persaud
Chief Labour, Occupational Safety
and Health Officer
Editor’s note
Our reporter spoke to Mr Yoganand Persaud in person at the Bank of Guyana following the sugar arbitration tribunal’s ruling on December 8, when the Chief Labour Officer told him that there was to be a meeting between BCGI and GB&GWU at the Labour Department on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Mr Persaud gave as one of the reasons for the meeting the company’s move to de-recognise the union.
In a telephone conversation with Mr Persaud on Wednesday, December 16, our reporter was informed that no meeting had been held the previous day. The union was willing to come he was told, but the company did not turn up. The Labour Department, said Mr Persaud, had tried reaching management all Tuesday and again on Wednesday without success, and then had to write them.
