– Lewis blames company’s ‘eye pass’ on government’s lead-footedness

The recalcitrant posture of the majority Russian-owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) towards the right of their employees to be affiliated to trade unions of their choice has now become “a stern test case” for government “that could now present itself as a measuring rod for determining its own commitment to protecting workers rights…,” General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis has said.

Lewis was at the time responding to questions put to him by the Stabroek Business following reports of activity, which Lewis has described as “a new wave of tyranny” at the BCGI’s Berbice River operations.

Stabroek Business has learnt that BCGI is in the process of altering the conditions of work of its employees in a manner that outlaws union affiliation. This, Lewis says, transgresses The Trade Union Recognition Act (Chapter 98:07) Section (23:1) which commits employees to treating with recognized trade unions and engaging in good-faith negotiations.

Lewis, who is also the long-serving General Secretary of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU), the official bargaining agent for the BCGI workers, has repeatedly and publicly pilloried the Russian management of the company for perpetuating “serious crimes against industrial relations procedures.”

He said blame for the current situation “can no longer be placed solely at the feet of the company. Since its accession to office the Government of Guyana has had more than enough time and ample opportunity to hold the BCGI’s feet to the fire as far as proper industrial relations practices are concerned. Like its predecessor, it has failed