…Bauxite union lays down conditions for reopening of Berbice River

By Tamica Garnett

UNLESS the Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) is willing to rehire the 142 laid-off workers; address compensation for two workers that were hospitalized after suffering electric shock while on duty; and address salary negotiations, workers are refusing to unblock the Berbice River, a position supported by several residents of the surrounding communities.

That was the consensus coming out of a meeting on Tuesday at the Landerns Ville community, where representatives of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU) and Regional politicians met with some of the company’s workers and residents of surrounding communities, including Hururu and Mappletown Aroaima.

“Every company have a corporate responsibility to the communities in which it operates. As a corporate citizen, what has RUSAL given to these communities? Everything you get here you fought for it. And this should be seen as unseen wages and you fought for it,” GBGWU General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis, told the gathering.

In salary negotiations, Lewis restated the Union’s position that there must be parity of pay between salaries RUSAL is offering and what obtains at other bauxite companies in Guyana.
“There are three bauxite companies [in Guyana]: RUSAL in Berbice, BOSAI in linden and First Bauxite, and the lowest paying bauxite company is RUSAL. What we need is to see parity in the job market, that means that if its $200 for a crane operator in BOSAI, pay $200 to a crane operator in RUSAL. They say no, all they will pay is 5 per cent more on the job. We said we can’t accept that,” Lewis informed.

Among those gathered were several mothers, with their children, eagerly sharing their thoughts, and some frustrations, on the treatment being meted out to them by BCGI, owned by RUSAL, the world’s largest bauxite company.

General Secretary of the GBGWU, Lincoln Lewis, reminded those gathered that whether they worked at the company or not, all of the communities are affected by the company’s actions, and a message needs to be sent that Guyanese must be respected.

“The community and the workers are linked, and decisions have to be made,” Lewis conveyed, adding that, “What you do today will inform how this company behaves tomorrow. You were born here, you grow here, you live here. And every time you ask to sell your labour for something, or you ask for an increase, these people take offence. Many people may say that we ought not to fight them, but if the people who were slaves didn’t fight slavery, we would’ve been born as slaves, if indentured servants didn’t fight then, indentureship would’ve still been in place.”

After BCGI posted a notice on the notice board last Wednesday informing workers of the laying off of 142 workers, effective as of January 23, workers subsequently blocked the Berbice River, across the Landernsville Landing, preventing the movement of bauxite, by the company, out of Guyana.

The company claimed that the retrenchment was as a result of a fuel shortage which was affecting their operations, however, the Department of Labour ( DoL) is investigating the authenticity of the claim.

Lewis and other Union representatives met with the company last Monday, along with labour officials at the Department of Labour, where the Union laid down their demands, and the company repeated a request for the river to be unblocked.

But the workers are not budging, seeing the blockage as their only leverage.
“They must treat us right and that is what they’re not doing. They feel they are superior to us. We are a third world country, so they feel we don’t have the potential to stand up to certain things. When we get what we are looking for it will be removed,” affirmed Union Vice-President, Garfield Brutus.

The gathering of residents braved sweltering sun to register their consent.
“What we are doing is holding our composure, our peace and try to unite to get things right. We are doing our utmost to hold things together because we are hurting very deeply. We are here holding this fort and maintaining the peace while our families on the other side are disturbed,” expressed Ephraim Velloza, GBGWU Branch President.

Lewis maintained that it is not until the demands are addressed that the union would be willing to “look at the possibility of facilitating the removal of the river blockage”.
“Dealing with RUSAL is like playing cricket with a football,” Lewis commented.

Lewis emphasized to the community the need to present a united front to the company, and whether the storm, particularly in light of the company having informed residents that due to the shortage of fuel, the communities will soon be experiencing power outages.
BCGI provides electricity to the communities of Landernsville, Hururu,Mapple, and Aroaima, the latter of which is a workers’ settlement owned by the company.

However, according to reports, the company has since sent a barge to uplift fuel that is expected to return by Thursday. The blockage of the river does not affect the traversing of the barge, as the power plant is said to be located before the blocked area.

“We are not going to retreat from here. What you are doing here is not just for yourself, this is for your children and grandchildren. If we can handle RUSAL how are we to handle Exxon [Mobil] and others?” Lewis queried, further noting that: “The time has come for strong and concerted effort. Some will come to tell you well, we can’t get light because they block off the river, fuel can’t come. But the day you raise it up without getting what you want, its dooms day for this community.”

APNU/AFC Regional Candidate, Jermaine Figuera, also visited and spoke with the residents, and encouraged them to remain strong through the fight for what is right.

“You are not doing RUSAL a favour. RUSAL recognizes that Guyana has a supreme product, which is why they are here. It’s an exchange, we are giving them our labour and they are getting our bauxite, and I believe what you are asking for, your labour is a fair compensation that should be respected. The government’s position is clear. No company will be allowed to disrespect Guyanese and, more so, our laws,” Figuera said, adding that, “With the advent of oil, many investors will come here. What you are doing here is sending an international message to all and sundry who want to come and invest here, that the rule of law is paramount, and the respect for workers must be adhered to at all cost.”