DTL should respect Guyana’s laws – GAWU

In the wake of the recent dismissal of  11 workers  attached to  Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL), the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has suggested that the Social Protection Ministry  implement policies governing the protection of  the rights  of workers who are employed with foreign-based companies.
“Our Union strongly urges the Ministry to uphold its authority and, therefore, ensure that the foreign-owned company respects the laws of our country as well as the established principles and conventions, which are integral to safeguarding the welfare of our working people,” GAWU stated on Thursday.
The Union noted that it has sought an “amicable and satisfactory” resolution to the situation, disclosing that it utilised the conciliatory services that are “lawfully provided” by the Ministry to “address workers’ disputes and problems”.
“Attempts to this end by the Ministry, however, have been strongly rebuffed by the company…letters dated October 25 and 26, 2016 from the Ministry and the company…show demonstration of DTL’s uncalled-for disregard of the Ministry apart from the aggrieved workers,” GAWU noted in its strongly worded release.
The DTL has attracted much criticism over the last few weeks after it sacked 11 workers who protested following a pay rise dispute. The company later suggested its intention to cease operations in this country while Guyana Times was told that some 72 workers were on a retrenchment list, which would be completed by December.  This publication reported that the company had outlined options, the first being to sell its shares to a foreign investor.

GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine
GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine

However, it was revealed that the shares could only be sold if the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) had granted permission. It was explained that in any of these scenarios, the workers would have to be made redundant.
GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine had stated his displeasure over the Union not being properly consulted by the DTL.
“This is not consultations; this is closing down the company one way or the other and getting rid of the workers,” Narine had pointed out, adding that the Union was informed that some workers would be phased out by October month-end, while the others would be relieved of employment in November. This publication understands that the final set of workers would be retrenched in December.
Guyana Times was told that the DTL would supposedly pay the workers their “full benefits”. However, GAWU had maintained that as the 2015 pay rise dispute was still being addressed by the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department, the matter should be settled before any workers were laid off.
Negotiations between the Union and the company reached a stalemate on November 17, 2015 after the DTL did not approve any pay raise, but offered a Christmas bonus of $5000 to each worker. The DTL had informed that its financial state precluded it from offering a pay raise. Following the impasse, the dispute was next subjected to conciliatory services by the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department.