Government is looking to establish an independent body to settle industrial and labour disputes, President David Granger has said.During his recent address to Parliament, President Granger outlined that, for 2017, his administration intends to table the Industrial Relations Tribunal Bill; which he said will, among other things, provide for the establishment of an independent tribunal to settle industrial and labour disputes.

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis, has said that establishment of such a body is one of many recommendations that were discussed at the National Tripartite Committee.

“It was something that was on the table for some time now,” the veteran trade unionist said.

The local trade union movement has recently written President Granger, seeking an audience to address a number of issues. “It is not lost on the trade union community that the state of affairs between employers, including the Government, and employees is one that poses a threat to a harmonious industrial relations climate, production, productivity, and the nation’s overall growth and development,” the unions have said in a statement.

The unions have expressed concern that the Constitution of Guyana is being breached by those who fail to recognise trade unions in Guyana as a major stakeholder in the decision-making process.

The Trade Union Recognition Act, Chapter 98:07, Section 23 (1), states that employers are required to treat with recognised trade unions, and engage in good-faith negotiations. However, the unions have said that, in many instances, the law is being observed in the breach.

The unions have cited an example to support their assertion: “The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU), as in the case of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), where since 2009 the employer refuses to treat with the union.”

They said, too, that the Guyana Teachers Union has been similarly affected, with the Ministry of Education abandoning negotiations with that union and imposing on teachers unilateral increases in wages and salaries.

Additionally, the unions said, the Good-faith principle which guides Collective Bargaining is not being upheld by the Government with respect to its negotiation with the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).