THE issue of labour standards is still problematic in many countries as many employers blatantly violate labour laws pertaining to occupation, health and safety, workers’ rights and collective bargaining. Here in Guyana there was an epic battle to have the Labour Relations Bill passed into law – it took about five decades to have the legislation implemented. The legislation was simply intended to give workers the right to have a union of their choice to represent them through free and fair poll.
In fact, the issue was used as a main plank in deposing the revered late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s pre-colonial PPP government, which sought to have the Bill become law in the 1950s. It was only after the PPP returned to government that it was able to successfully pilot the Bill in Parliament.
The opposition to the Bill was of course aimed at preventing the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), which had the overwhelming support of the sugar workers, from replacing the MPCA which was a company union favoured by the owners of the sugar industry at the time.
Guyana has made impressive strides in recent years in relation to labour standards but of course there is room for improvement as there are still some errant employers who blatantly violate labour laws.
But the problem is not one that is limited to our country, as many countries are affected by it.
Releasing the ICFTU’s 1999 Trade Union Rights Survey, Bill Jordan said that at the time of the industrial revolution, the British government was asked to undo the draconian labour laws as they were undermining the forces of competition.
“The story of one country (Britain) then is becoming the story of all countries today,” Jordan said. “Transnational companies are already telling countries desperate for their investments – ‘if you want our investments, liberalise your laws, introduce more flexibility, do away with draconian labour laws.’ That is the price for investment.”
According to Jordan, the core labour standards enshrined in the ILO Declaration – relating to freedom of association and collective bargaining – were being violated all around the world.
The report said that 123 trade unionists were murdered in 1998, about 1650 individuals were attacked or injured, 3650 were arrested and a massive 21,427 were sacked for trade union activities. A record 119 countries have been cited this year. And these figures represent only ‘the tip of the iceberg,’ says the ICFTU.
On this note, it was heartening to see that the visit to Region Eight by Labour Minister Mr. Manzoor Nadir, was successful.
Nadir told the workers in that remote region nestled in the ‘heart of Guyana’ that they must be given their rightful benefits, regardless of where they are employed.
He highlighted the importance of the labour laws, particularly those dealing with compensation for workers who sustain injuries on the job.
Minister Nadir pointed out that while the outreach by the Labour, Occupational, Health and Safety (LOH&S) Department of the Ministry dealt with pressing issues affecting workers especially in mining camps, it also sought to educate operators and claim holders on their obligations, in keeping with the labour laws.
The Ministry in 2010 successfully conducted over 900 claims by workers against employers, which resulted in payments of approximately $30M in benefits to workers.
But what is especially good about this outreach is the fact that it was one which dealt with a remote region because there is a tendency to focus only on the coastal belt, perhaps because of the logistical difficulties of getting into the remote communities where maybe labour laws are even more rampantly violated.
Therefore, it would be hoped that similar outreaches would be done in other remote regions and communities.
