GAWU officials threatened by purported Puran Brothers officers during meeting with staff

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) on Saturday said that its officials were threatened by persons purporting to be officers of Puran Brothers as they engaged employees of the company.
According to GAWU, the workers had shared with the Union representatives, issues regarding violation of their workplace rights and concerns over poor working conditions.
In a statement on Saturday, GAWU said arising from those interactions, which took place on Friday, officials of the GAWU ventured to continue discussions with the workers. “It appears the Puran Brothers officials may have gotten wind of the interactions and ventured to a shop where the Union officials were located. The company’s officials then begun to threaten our GAWU officials and attempted to snatch their possessions. Our officials then came under attack and sand was thrown at one of our officials while another of the company’s personnel verbally assaulted him. This was after one of our officials replied to a derogatory remark launched towards the Union’s personnel,” GAWU said in a statement.
Their threatening behaviour, GAWU said, “is obviously an attempt to intimidate the Union and more so the workers.”

“We learnt following the interaction with our Union officials, the workers were summoned to the company’s premises. “The GAWU denounces the attempt by officials of the well-known company to undermine and dissuade the workers from pursuing their rights. Our Union officials have since reported the matter to the Guyana Police Force.”
On Saturday, GAWU called on the Labour Ministry to act swiftly to ensure that the workers’ inalienable constitutional rights are protected, and they are treated with decency, respect and dignity which all workers deserve.
GAWU has since released a video of the confrontation and assault to the media.
Efforts by this publication for a comment from senior officials from Puran Brothers proved futile.