Removal of Berbice River blockage hinges on resolution of issues or arbitration pact
-Bauxite workers’ union
The Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) will only allow the resumption of Rusal-run Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc’s (BCGI) traffic in the Berbice River if the company moves to resolve outstanding labour issues or signs an arbitration agreement, General Secretary Lincoln Lewis said yesterday.
Lewis made the declaration after he and other union representatives met yesterday with Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle at the Department of Labour, where they reiterated their position.
At the meeting, Lewis told Stabroek
News, the Labour Department indicated that it would work to ensure that recently laid off BCGI workers are reinstated, on the condition that they remove a barrier that has been erected across the Berbice River in order to prevent vessels from entering or leaving the mining site at Aroaima.
Lewis said that the workers’ issues have been ignored for too long and it is their position that they must be addressed before the two sides can move forward.
He noted that Ogle assured that the Labour Department is prepared to resolve the layoffs, while requesting that they remove the barricade across the river.
As a result, Lewis contended that the Labour Department was attempting to delink the issues, which includes properly addressing workers’ wages and salaries and to have the company accept responsibility and compensate two workers who were shocked in December and had to seek their own medical attention.
He said the labour issues have dragged on for too long as it has been over a decade since the union has been fighting for the management of the Russian-owned company to treat workers fairly. “After 10 years it seems as if the management of Rusal has learnt nothing and the Labour Department likewise. They have been using a kid’s glove when it comes to Rusal…,” Lewis said.
Lewis emphasised that the barriers across the river will only be removed if BCGI agrees to facilitate a settlement on all issues or to go to arbitration.
“If they want to go to arbitration, there must be the establishment of TORs [Terms of Reference] and the appointment of arbitrators and they must sign the agreement. This is the time for the issues to be fixed… ,” Lewis added.
The veteran trade unionist pointed out that during his career he has observed much more difficult issues being addressed in a short period.
“We have made our position known to the Labour Department but I don’t know what they will do. I have seen matters like this and more difficult settled easily,” Lewis said.
By way of a letter last Thursday morning, BCGI announced layoffs due to the downsizing of operations as a result of a “fuel shortage.”
The letter stated, “We wish to advise that we are forced to reduce operations and lay off employees due to shortage of fuel.”
However, those laid off have been informed that they will be recalled as soon as the situation stabilises.
The layoffs are the latest chapter in the deteriorating relations between the company and workers, which have been underpinned for years by acrimony over wages and conditions. Talks on wages have been stalled for months and workers may see these layoffs as an attempt to pressure them.
In a statement last Thursday, the GB&GWU said that during discussions, BCGI changed their position on the rationale behind the layoffs. The union said that the company created the “pretext that it was not granted approval” by the government for duty-free importation of fuel. “This is not true. The Guyana Revenue Authority issued that letter of approval. When the management was confronted on the deception the position was changed that the laying off is the result of the company scaling back operation,” it noted.
Lewis had told Stabroek News that when they objected to the manner in which the workers were laid off, which violates the country’s labour laws, representatives of the company responded by saying that they were given expert advice to operate in the manner they did, including posting the list of workers to be laid off on their notice board.
The union also pointed out that according to industrial relations practice and the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, companies are required to inform unions of their intention to retrench.
After being informed that they were laid off with no reasonable explanation,
dozens of workers decided to block the Berbice River in a bid to prevent two barges filled with bauxite ore from passing. They had also employed this tactic last year.
Workers have strung oil barrels and jars on wires across the river, thereby blocking the passage of barges leaving and entering the mining site at Aroaima.
And while the Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Keith Scott described the actions of the company as legally and morally wrong, the union publicly declared “that it has lost all confidence” in his management of the dispute.
Close to a year ago, workers began striking following the imposition of a unilateral 1% increase in wages by the company, along with other unaddressed issues, including BCGI’s unwillingness to recognise the union as the workers’ bargaining agent. They had said the move was a signal to the company to show the need for urgency in finding a resolution.
The company fired 90 workers following the initiation of strike action with 60 workers being dismissed initially and an additional 30 being sacked in the ensuing days.