— over workers’ displacement from Maple Town, Aroaima

GENERAL-SECRETARY of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU), Lincoln Lewis, is calling on the Guyanese people to condemn Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc’s (BCGI) decision to evict a number of workers and their families from Maple Town, Aroaima.

In a statement on Sunday, Lewis equated the alleged action of the bauxite company with contempt and said that it is part of a series of debilitating actions that the company has perpetrated on its Guyanese workers. Lewis reported that a meeting is expected to be convened at 10:oohrs today at the Department of Labour to discuss workers’ grievances.
“This cannot be allowed to happen in Guyana. The Russian management of BCGI must not be allowed to exploit our resources and in the process violate Guyanese and disrespect our laws. Not here in Guyana!” said Lewis in his statement.

He noted that 120 bauxite workers, including their families, who permanently reside in the residential location at Aroaima, owned by BCGI were issued an edict, via circular, last Friday afternoon to immediately vacate the community.

He reported that on Friday workers proceeded on strike “after BCGI’s failure (since 2009) to respect their rights to a union of choice and collective bargaining.” He said that the further act of seeking to physically dispossess the workers “is not only lawless, inhumane, vindictive and uncalled for but a violation of their conditions of employment. Every act of the worker remains consistent with Article 147 of the Guyana Constitution.”

According to Lewis, the workers have ignored the edict and are resolutely standing their ground. “They, along with their families, remain within Maple Town. The Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Public Security, now has the responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being in the area and immediate environs since their lives have [been] made untenable by management,” said Lewis. He stated also that some other workers who reside partially on the site have had kitchen services taken away from them.

“The meeting is at the invitation letter dated 15th February, of Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle to the union and BCGI management. GB&GWU shall attend not only confident the laws are on the workers’ side, but in quickened steps to bring about resolution conscious that the soil we walk on is drenched with the blood, sweat and tears of our forebears and made more enriched for the workers of today to first reap of its bounty,” said Lewis.

He stressed that given the Government of Guyana has joint shareholding interest in BCGI, it must be mindful that whatever is being done by management is also done in its name. “Guyanese, home and in the diaspora, must not countenance the continued violations. Enough is enough…” he declared.