The Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) has written to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) asking it “to commence a public inquiry into charges of discrimination” against Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) employees and the union.
In a press release issued yesterday, the union said its official complaint cited discrimination on the “grounds of race and political geography” as reasons for the inquiry.
The union has also written to Yoganand Persaud, in his capacity as the Secretary of the Trade Union Recognition & Certification Board, seeking to meet with the board to discuss actions by the BCGI and recent public statements made by Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir.
The union said it wishes to discuss, among other things, “the refusal of the Bauxite Company Guyana Inc to meet with the union to discuss matters pertaining to workers welfare inasmuch as there exists a legal Certificate of Recognition between the parties,” and “the company’s action of coercing members of the union to sign a company prepared petition to request a poll with a view of de-recognizing the union under Section 31 of the Trade Union Recognition Act, Chapter 98:07”.
The union also expressed concerns about statements made by Nadir during a recent press conference that signatures received may have been gotten of free will based on prevailing evidence. The union has expressed concerns that Nadir made such statements in spite of the fact that he said the ministry had not investigated the matter as yet.
The union has also written to Russian Ambassador Pavel Sergiev in an attempt to inform the Russian government of the BCGI’s management’s violations of workers’ rights and the laws of Guyana. The letter is calling on the Russian government to encourage Rusal to honour and respect international laws and ILO covenants as well as the laws of the country.
