ACCORDING to Minister of Labour Dr. Nanda Kiskore Gopaul, he is appealing to those workers who are aware that their rights have been violated to approach his ministry for assistance, even as he also appealed to employers to observe the labour laws to ensure the existence of a healthy work environment. After the national and regional elections of October, 1992 Dr Cheddi Jagan, as Executive President of Guyana, continued to embrace the workers’ cause and support their interests. As such, several pieces of labour-friendly legislation were passed-the Trade Union Recognition  Act; the Prevention of Discrimination Act; the Occupational Health and Safety Act; and Holidays with Pay Act ( All workers are now covered; previously only certain categories of workers enjoyed this benefit) and the Termination of Employment and Severance Act-passed in the National Assembly testified to this.
It is my firm belief that the trade unions representing workers and the Ministry of Labour must be more united and vigilant to fully realise the interest of the workers. Unfortunately, today we are seeing many workers are being dismissed wrongfully without their severance pay and other benefits. A total of 33 workers from the Caricom Rice Mills Ltd, with over 30 years service was wrongfully dismissed by the management without severance pay and other benefits, this is a total violation of the labour laws.
I sincerely hope that the Minister of Labour, Dr, Nanda Kishore Gopaul, would do everything possible to work with these dismissed workers and others who have suffered similar fates to bring about genuine representation and their payment. He must be forceful against these unscrupulous employers with his arguments to expose reaction and to lay bare before the workers, who were consistently caught in an inescapable net of exploitation. However, the Bill passed in the House of Assembly in 1992 by Dr. Cheddi Jagan must see the light of day for all dismissed workers, then his memory will remain fresh with us.
All those who have struggled consistently for the Termination of Employment and Severance Act and the Prevention of Discrimination Act, must certainly now feel a great sense of satisfaction that finally the Minister of Labour is moving to resolve disputes as they relate to severance payment which were long festering and which allowed some unscrupulous employers to benefit by increasing the non-payment of severed workers.