Workers’ rights must be respected

THIS week’s firing of 61 workers of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) and the subsequent hardline stance taken by the top management cannot be countenanced and is deserving of all the condemnation it has received thus far.

The various statements of condemnation from civil society, political parties and trade unions were given further boost when high-level government officials made it clear that Guyanese workers must be treated in a respectful manner and at all times the country’s labour laws must be upheld, at a meeting on Thursday with the executive members of the Russian Aluminium (RUSAL) company.

In a statement by the Ministry of the Presidency, it was pointed out that the meeting was aimed at identifying ways in which the ongoing industrial strike taken by workers and their subsequent dismissals can be resolved amicably. Minister of State Joseph Harmon was accompanied by Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ally; Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman; and Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, Mr. Keith Scott. “There are two objectives to this: the Guyanese workers must be treated in a respectful and fair manner at all times… their rights must be respected and at the same time, the company must function and ensure it makes profits for its shareholders. It is a question of finding common ground and ensure that our workers’ rights are respected. We must find common ground to move forward. The issues must be dealt with in a clear way,” Harmon was quoted in a release as saying.

The problems with the workers and this company go back years and it is more than timely they be resolved. Whereas Guyana faces threats to our territorial integrity with Venezuela coveting Essequibo and Suriname part of Berbice, the sovereignty of Guyanese being threatened by foreign force within our borders is equally serious and deserving of national response.

Even while this latest sacking of the workers is being resolved, there is an existing dispute between the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) who are the workers’ elected representative, and the management of the company. The union has accused the company of not wanting to respect the laws as they relate to the workers’ rights to a union of choice and collective bargaining. Stories of workers being dismissed for taking industrial actions against unsafe practices, denial of collective bargaining, and protesting their meals being prepared under unhygienic conditions, have attracted media coverage in the past. Allegations of being threatened by an aggressive ‘spade-wheeling’ manager, and the industrial accidents and deaths occurring within this mining community were also covered.
The company, which is owned by the Government of Guyana and RUSAL Aluminium and managed by the latter, for its part has accused the union of violating the collective labour agreement. It has taken a decision since December 2009 to de-recognise the union, which the union claims constitute a violation of Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act (1997).

These reports are enough to cause concern about what is happening to these workers. The back and forth between the union and company have been on-going for far too long when evidently, the workers have concerns that they need to be addressed. Irrespective of which side of the issue people may be inclined to agree with, there must be no disagreement that Guyanese are deserving to be treated with respect and dignity in their homeland. The presence of this decade-long dispute is indicative that something is amiss and this must be looked into as a matter of utmost urgency. The Ministry of Social Protection is being urged to recognise the protection these workers are clamouring for.

As Guyanese, there is no place we can truly call home other than here. It is in our home where our protection and safety can and must be assured, in spite of the challenges going on around us. As a peaceful people, just as we don’t seek trouble with our neighbours and other countries, the standard we set ourselves must be equally reflected in how we allow others to treat us, our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Where these are circumscribed in our constitution and laws, at all times these must be defended and protected with all our might. It can never be over-emphasised the dual and intertwined importance of sovereignty and integrity to the nation’s survival, respect and development of its people. The last place Guyanese should feel alien is here. Those workers have said they want their union to represent them. Advisedly, a recognition certificate exists and the GB&GWU is the recognised union. Where the workers have once again had cause to take industrial action for both the recognition of the union of their choice and for better working conditions, their pleas must no longer be ignored.

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