The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) yesterday maintained its call for compulsory arbitration to resolve its ongoing dispute with the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), while saying it would not clear the Berbice River of encumbrances that have prevented access by the company’s vessels in exchange for the reinstatement of sacked workers under the current conditions.
The union’s position comes in wake of an apparent offer by the company to reinstate workers who were sacked after engaging in strike action in exchange for river access.
Following over two weeks of industrial action, both sides were expected to meet with the Labour Department in Georgetown yesterday but separate meetings were held instead as BCGI, a subsidiary of RUSAL, continued to refuse to meet with the union, which it does not recognise as the bargaining agent for the workers.
