As industrial action at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) enters its third week, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle has invited the company and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) to a meeting tomorrow.
The meeting is scheduled for 9 am at the Social Protection Ministry.
According to a brief statement issued on Friday by the Labour Department of the Ministry of Social Protection, Ogle is optimistic that “he will be able to convince the Management of the Russian-based Company that in the interest of all stakeholders, normalcy be returned without further delay.”
The invitation was extended even as BCGI, which is a subsidiary of Russian Aluminum (RUSAL), continues to resist calls to reinstate all workers who were recently dismissed. The company has also refused to acknowledge the union as the workers’ bargaining agent and boycotted a previous meeting at which the union was present. It has met with the department separately.
BCGI has so far dismissed 90 workers. It had initially fired 60 workers and subsequently fired an additional 30 last week.
As a result, workers strung oil barrels and jars on wires across the Berbice River, blocking the passage of barges leaving and entering the mining site at Aroaima, Berbice River.
The river was blocked since Tuesday afternoon.
On Friday, representatives of the GB&GWU, the Guyana Trades Union Congress, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana, and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union, visited the striking bauxite workers in Aroaima and Kwakwani.
The unions and the workers have emphasised their unwillingness to stand down amidst the “disrespect” from the company and GB&GWU Secretary Leslie Junor explained that they were encouraged to keep the pressure on since workers have endured disrespect from foreign companies, especially RUSAL, for “too long.” The union has also called on the Social Protection Minister to order compulsory arbitration under the labour legislation.
The unions have also planned for additional supplies to be delivered to the workers and will ensure that there is picket action every Thursday until the situation is resolved.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has expressed its solidarity with the workers and their union.
“GPSU stands firmly in solidarity with employees of RUSAL and their Union, in their struggle for fair and decent pay, and [against] the employer’s disrespect for the Laws of Guyana,” a statement issued by the union on Friday states.
The GPSU condemned the actions of RUSAL, which it accused of showing blatant disrespect for the people and Laws of Guyana and it called on the Ministry of Social Protection to enforce the laws immediately by taking necessary legal action against the company.
According to the GPSU, various local laws, including the constitution, make clear that where an employee’s organisation is recognised, management must meet with the employees’ representative in good faith to discuss conditions of service of the employee.
Further, where the employer fails to meet with the employee’s representative, this constitutes an offence, and for every additional day that they fail to meet, a fine is imposed.
“RUSAL, in arbitrarily imposing a one per cent increase, changed the conditions of service of the employees and this is a blatant disrespect to the employees, the employees’ representative, and total disregard for the laws of Guyana,” the statement explains, adding that this flagrant disregard and infringement on workers’ rights lead to their protesting, and RUSAL responded by adding ‘salt to the wounds’ with the dismissal of 61 workers, ejection of employees and their families from their living quarters, and refusal to prepare meals, in an effort to break the workers’ spirit.
“This is a method used by combatant forces and violates a fundamental international principle of humanitarianism which prohibits the starvation of civilians. The move by RUSAL can be viewed as contempt and disdain towards the workers in their fight for a living wage. This reprehensive and illegal conduct is in violation of Article 147-2 of Guyana’s Constitution which gives the employees the right to strike. The right to strike is also mentioned in International Labour Organisation Convention as a fundamental right of workers and of their organisations and must be protected and respected at all cost,” GPSU stressed.
