FOLLOWING its original position of disagreement, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) yesterday accepted the clarification provided by President David Granger on the re-assignment of portfolios and responsibilities given to Minister Simona Broomes.
Ms Broomes is now Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, and she has responsibility for occupational safety and health as well as workers’ rights in the mining and forestry sectors. She had served as Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection.
Former Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, is now serving as Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, with responsibility for labour.
“Evidently, this means that industrial relations issues such as conditions of employment, trafficking in persons (TIP) and determining a way forward on disputes involving employers and workers fall within the minister’s (Broomes) remit in the identified sectors,” a statement from the GTUC said.
The GTUC had, last week, expressed shock at President Granger’s move to re-assign Minister Broomes. GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis described Broomes as one of the hardest working ministers in government, and noted that there was never a complaint by anyone on Minister Broomes’s performance.
“Were our opinion sought, disagreement would have been expressed in the minister’s removal,” Lewis said in a letter to the editor.
The GTUC has since modified its previous position of disagreement, saying that given what was explained by President Granger, Minister Scott will be responsible for occupational safety and health, conditions of employment, TIP, and labour disputes outside of the mining and forestry sectors.
Given the nature of the work before the two reassigned ministers, the GTUC believes the ministers need to be “empowered with the requisite instruments” which give them authority to perform without having to be challenged in any form on their areas of authority.
While describing President Granger’s actions as “unique”, the GTUC said the responsibilities of the two ministers are to be guided by the ILO core labour standards and the laws of Guyana. These standards are: Freedom of Association, Collective Bargaining, Forced Labour, Child Labour, Equal Pay, and Discrimination.
TIME-HONOURED PRINCIPLES
“GTUC takes this opportunity to welcome Minister Scott to the Labour portfolio, and looks forward to meaningful engagement and consultations consistent with Articles 13 and 149C of the Guyana Constitution, relevant laws, conventions and charters impacting on workers’ well-being.”
The body stressed that “a stable industrial relations environment” is critical to development, and is founded on “respecting time-honoured principles, the rule of law, and workers/citizens’ rights. Industrial relations cannot be guided by gut feelings.”
“As such, we hold expectation that the hallmark for labour relations that has defined the Granger/Nagamootoo administration under Minister Broomes continues throughout Guyana,” the statement said.
The GTUC has since prepared letters to the two ministers with the hope of engagement them to discuss matters pertinent to the labour landscape, including outstanding grievances and disputes, notably the six-year impasse between the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) and the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GW), collective bargaining and other socio-economic concerns.
BY Ariana Gordon
