WHEN Minister Simona Broomes was appointed Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, the vitality she brought to her job — though rumoured as unsettling to some employers — was welcomed by workers, some employers, and the wider society.
In a society where mediocrity, disregard for rules, and mistreatment of workers were condoned or seen as acceptable, it should have come as no surprise that the proverbial ‘new broom’, sweeping as clean as she was doing, would have made some persons uncomfortable and would have threatened the old order.
Within the minister’s six-month stint, the Labour Department had earned a reputation of getting things done. This was evident with the settling of outstanding grievances; interfacing with workers and management at the workplace; and workshops coordinated by the department to aid better understanding of the roles, rights and responsibilities of management, worker and Government.
The addressing of hundreds of complaints brought by workers to the ministry, and payment made to them by recalcitrant employers to the tune of over a hundred million dollars, are recorded achievements of her leadership.
When the minister was transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the view was held that it was sudden, and had the fingerprint of those in the private sector who prefer the old order and had the ear of members in the Executive.
President David Granger assured the public that this transfer was designed to have Broomes give specific attention to labour matters in the mining and forestry sectors, which have their unique challenges. There are issues such as trafficking in persons (TIP), child labour, and workplace violations — including threat to occupational health and safety and non-payment of workers — tackling of which would no doubt require understanding of the sectors, dexterity to navigate the issues, and ability to get things done. None truthfully could have questioned Broomes’s ability in this regard, given her performance at Social Protection and activism as a miner. Arguably, this is her terrain.
Major issues affecting the labour climate in the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), Bhai San Lin (BSL), Barama Company Limited (BCL), and Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) have recently been in the news. In the case of BCGI, it deals with the seven-year dispute with management and the workers’ union, the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union, which has seen utmost disrespect being shown by management to the Government of Guyana and for our laws, in that they refused to attend a meeting called by the Ministry of Social Protection, where they were to meet the union.
Barama would downsize its workforce, which has to do in some part with the non-renewal of its contract. This will see hundreds of workers being unemployed.
The DTL management has fired workers who went on strike, protesting what they considered poor working conditions, and this move goes contrary to the labour laws of Guyana.
The BSL contract has been revoked; and this, according to the Government, has been the result of BSL’s failure to honour the conditions stipulated in the agreement. Local workers will be affected.
The abovementioned four scenarios, outside of the pressing everyday work-related issues in the sectors, suggest that the minister’s hand would be filled. Yet, in the presence of such a volatile climate, Minister Broomes, who has earned a reputation for tackling difficult and unpleasant situations, is not seen or heard.
It is not the intent of this editorial to question the motive or decision that would, in the first instance, inform the minister’s transfer to another ministry. President Granger’s statement in regard to the reason why Minister Broomes was transferred suffices, and it is reasonable to assume that these sectors would not be left unattended. The noted public absence of the minister and her renowned hands-on management style since assumption of duty in the Ministry of Natural Resources are bound to give rise to concern and speculation.
Where concern is felt that the minister is being sidelined, and speculation is held that her activism and knowledge of the mining sector and issues such as TIP and child labour threaten her seniors or ruffle the feathers of the old order, these ought to be noted and addressed. In the meantime, it would serve the society well if Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman should put these views to rest and have his ministry give a head-on tackle to what is evidently an untenable environment in the mining and forestry sectors.
