MINISTER of Labour Nanda Gopaul has urged striking workers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to return to work and engage the management of the Commission in meaningful dialogue in an effort to resolve the current industrial dispute. 

The workers proceeded on strike on January 6 at the urging of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), calling for increased pay.
Asked Monday to comment on the matter, Minister Gopaul said: “Whatever the differences that exist in this current dispute, the only way it that can be resolved is by workers returning to work and holding dialogue with the employer, If not at the bilateral level at conciliation and if not resolved, take it to the next level.”
The minister was at the time responding to a question on the apparent impasse between the GGMC and the GPSU in resolving the ongoing industrial dispute.
Some workers of the Commission proceeded on strike in January for what they claim was management’s failure to honour a pay increase that was agreed following similar action taken last November.
Sharing his opinion on a possible way forward to resolve the dispute, the minister said, “We can’t force the trade union or workers to go back to work, but we believe that it is in their interest…in industrial relations one has to remain flexible and having made the point, the only way industrial disputes could be resolved is through dialogue.”
The Commission had issued a press release following the action taken by the workers in January, stating that they had proceeded on strike action while negotiations were in progress.They had also written to the chief labour officer informing him of the action taken by the union. Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle, having investigated the circumstances that led to the strike had written to the acting General Secretary of the union, stating that given the union’s failure to follow the procedure outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the two parties, the strike could be considered illegal. The union has resisted this position and has insisted that the Terms of Resumption signed in November 2014 following strike action taken by workers had given a timeline of December 31, 2014 to implement a certain action, failing which they could review their position. The deadline has passed and they were legally entitled to resume their strike action,the union contends.
Minister Gopaul stated that the two parties have to be able to have discussions on the issue, but it was not good industrial relations practice to do so in an unstable industrial climate. “You can’t resolve an industrial dispute while on strike; you can’t bargain under duress.It is a common and clear -cut tenet in industrial relations for there to be proper dialogue and proper negotiations; there must be industrial stability, it is a common and basic industrial relations principle.
The Labour Minister also called on the workers to return to work and honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Commission and the GPSU so that the dispute could be properly dealt with: “You can’t bargain under duress, no employer will like to do that and the faster the workers realise that having made their point there should be a resumption and the dialogue should continue, even if it has to be removed from the employer’s level to the Ministry of Labour and follow the CollectiveBargaining Agreement on the grievance procedure and take it to the arbitration if possible, to ensure that all the avenues are explored before there is conflict.”
Calling on the union to follow the international best practices for resolving industrial disputes, the minister said: “Under current-day industrial relations systems all over the world, they have systems and we want them to be followed. The ministry has made its point to the union and we hope good sense will prevail.”
The National Association of Agricultural, Commercial Industrial Employees (NAACIE) last week issued a press statement supporting the actions of the workers. The GPSU has remained resolute in their action following a meeting with the chief labour officer and the Commission last Friday which ended in a stalemate.