THE trade union movement in Guyana held their first in a series of picketing exercises outside of the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) Foreshaw Street office on Thursday.

The unions are protesting not only this company’s current treatment toward its employees, but what they contend is a worrying trend of foreign businesses disregard for local labour laws.

Bearing placards with statements such as “Respect workers hard won rights” and “RUSAL must operate within Guyana’s laws”, trade union officials and supporters braved the morning sun to continue to put pressure on BCGI to reinstate the some 90 workers it has fired, and to recognise the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU) as the workers’ bargaining agent.

The picketing exercise was a joint exercise between umbrella trade union bodies, the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) and Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). The picketing is expected to continue today along with another protest at the company’s Upper-Berbice Aroaima operations.

In a joint statement, the two bodies cited similar labour breaches by Malaysian-owned Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL), Canadian-owned Guyana Goldfields Inc., and oil and gas sector company, El Dorado Offshores.
“BCGI’s action is not an isolated incident but rather seems to be a reflex action by foreign enterprises operating locally,” said FITUG Treasurer Seepaul Narine.

He added: “DTL in 2016 had moved to dismiss a number of workers after they took part in a protest action; that was subsequently settled after the interventions of the court. Since then the company has been refusing to engage the recognised bargaining agent, the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU). In 2017, the National Mine Workers Union (NMWU) called to attention breaches by Guyana Goldfields Inc.”

Narine said the multinational companies often carry out similar actions in other third world countries, but Guyana needs to take a stand against it.
Suggested solutions to the endemic include more forceful enforcement of the law, an updating of labour legislation and stronger collaboration with the Department of Labour and trade unions when foreign businesses set up shop in Guyana.

“It is a worrying thing that while you want investment in the country, we have to protect the workers. We have to strengthen our different laws, see where there are weaknesses. We have to be able to get the companies to provide their accounts for scrutiny by the workers unions. For some of these things you have to amend you legislation, enact new legislation,” suggested FITUG executive, Komal Chand

On the current BCGI issue, government has since come out backing the country’s workers and demanding their reinstatement so that proper negotiations can take place. GBGWU is calling for the situation to go to compulsory arbitration.
BCGI on February 18 terminated some 61 workers for going on strike from February 15. Last week, several RUSAL executives held meetings with the Department of Labour and with several government ministers. At the end of those meetings, it was expected that the workers would be reinstated.

However, in a shocking turn of events, another 30 employees on Monday, February 25th, received letters that they were being laid off.
Oddly, even as the company is firing employees, it is looking to hire new employees with executives indicating in a meeting last Wednesday that they were looking to begin a hiring exercise from today.

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally in her meeting with RUSAL executives on Tuesday reaffirmed that government will be going the “full length” to see the reinstatement of the fired workers.