GAWU calls on Labour Ministry to address DTL workers’ concerns

Workers attached to the Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) have raised concerns over the working conditions which they are currently subjected to, calling for intervention from the Labour Ministry.

In a statement, the issue was highlighted by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), noting that the current situation has not been addressed by the company despite representation to bargain on behalf of workers.
“The workers continued to highlight that the situation has hardly improved. Over the last few years, the DTL has adopted an arm’s length approach to the GAWU and the efforts of both the Union and the Ministry to correct that situation have so far been unsuccessful. Our Union has called on the Ministry to take sterner actions in keeping with the Laws of Guyana. We have told the Ministry that it is obligated to ensuring that workers’ rights are protected more so considering that the foreign-owned DTL benefits from our nation’s patrimony,” the Union shared.
The Labour Ministry has been urged to visit the company’s Mabura Hill location and examine some of the concerns facing workers. A correspondence has already been sent to the Ministry with this information.
“We applaud the efforts of the Ministry in protecting the rights of all workers. This is our objective as well and we believe our collaborative efforts could meaningfully address the situation plaguing the DTL workers.”
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton has reached out to several companies and sites within recent time, addressing workers’ plights. At a mining site at St Mary, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), some employees recently sought to voice their grievances and highlighted some of the inhumane working conditions they are being forced to work under.
Among the complaints made were that they work 12-hour shifts daily, seven days a week with no days off, and they are limited to four days “vacation leave”. Workers also complained about the lack of proper safety equipment to carry out their necessary functions and it was also found that the Guyanese employees have different contractual arrangements than foreign workers. It was shared that while Guyanese workers receive no days off, the contract with foreign workers allows them to have days off and vacation leave.
As Minister Hamilton engaged the employees, he firmly stated that the working conditions are unacceptable for any worker, adding that the company seems to be exercising its own labour laws. He noted that there is a zero-tolerance policy for the rights of Guyanese workers being violated by local and foreign companies.
On Wednesday, Hamilton ventured out with senior Labour Officers for a routine inspection at the BK Quarry in Region Seven. It was observed that the company had in place, sufficient occupational safety and health protocols.
However, following the meeting, the Minister indicated to the on-site management that he will be instructing the Acting Chief Labour Officer, Michelle Baburam, to write to the company’s management in Georgetown, inviting them for an urgent meeting as soon as next week.