– urges impartial and fair process

THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) on Monday engaged members of the taskforce charged with examining the operations of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

During the meeting held at the Union’s High Street Headquarters, GAWU said though pleased with the engagement, it drew to the taskforce’s attention that Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, was informed via a letter dated April 12, 2019, of its status as the bargaining agent for the Commission’s workers. In that letter, GAWU told the minister that it has a deep interest in the work of the taskforce.

GAWU also noted that since the establishment of the taskforce, several commentaries have appeared in the media but the Union is, nevertheless, prepared to engage in good faith.

“Our Union urged the body, however, not to ignore the sentiments in the media. Our Union expressed that the Commission’s employees were very much concerned as to whether the exercise will serve to reduce the staffing levels of the GFC. On this score, the taskforce assured it had no preconceived notions and that it would merely make recommendations which may or may not be accepted by the Administration,” GAWU said in a statement on Tuesday.

GAWU, during the meeting, took note of the fact that the Commission has many functions and its employees have manifold responsibilities. It also used the opportunity to express its concern over the financial situation of the Commission. “Such a situation is not healthy for the organisation, we opined, and could well harm the organization in the medium-term,” it posited.

“GAWU noted that it saw in the National Budget Estimates, the surplus of the Commission declining from $213M in 2013 to an expected $2.2M in 2019. In the same period, we noted revenues have risen from $711M in 2013 to an expected $1.435B in 2019, a 101 per cent rise, whereas expenditure has risen from $498M to $1.432B, a 187 per cent rise. The rapid rise in expenditure vis-à-vis revenue, we contended, must be a matter that should not escape the taskforce’s attention,” it said.

Nonetheless, GAWU said that the taskforce’s success is linked to a process that is seen as fair and impartial, noting that the recommendations are responsive to the circumstances of the Commission.

“We contended that an open and transparent approach is necessary and the need for inclusion among the stakeholders, most significantly, the Commission’s hard-working and dedicated workers, should not be underscored. Of course, we added that such engagements must be facilitated in an atmosphere of respect and cordiality and with an open mind,” GAWU said.

The taskforce, for its part, gave an overview of the Forestry Commission which was established in its current form in 1979. Over the years, the Commission, the taskforce pointed out, has been generally concerned with logging and sawmilling and that its revenues were primarily derived from forestry activities. In the statement, GAWU said in more recent times, given advancements in technology and concern about protection of biodiversity, environmental degradation, watershed management and other tasks within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the role and work of the Commission has expanded.

The developments have resulted in the Commission taking on several new responsibilities and are incurring higher expenditure in the pursuance of those tasks. With the now new roles of the Commission, the taskforce will be examining means to ensure that the GFC remains on a sustainable footing so that it can adequately deliver on its new mandate.

In this regard, the taskforce will examine the addition of new revenue streams or alteration to existing streams in order to meet the Commission’s costs today and tomorrow as well.

The meeting was attended by a delegation from the Union comprising its General Secretary, Seepaul Narine; Assistant General Secretary, Aslim Singh; Organising Officer, Porandatt Narine; Executive Committee member, Gordon Thomas, and GFC GAWU General Council member, Monica Jacobs.

The taskforce members included Clayton Hall, Dr David Singh, Simone Benn, Rickey Jagroop, and Jacy Archibald.