GAWU protests “inability” of Labour Dept to address concerns

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) on Thursday protested the Social Ministry’s Labour Department for its inability to address concerns raised.

General Secretary of the Union, Seepaul Narine, who was at the picket line on Brickdam, Georgetown, explained that more than a dozen concerns that were raised over a two-year period are yet to be addressed by the Ministry while noting it has been quite frustrating.
He noted that these matters are pertinent not only to several persons who are directly affected but also other workers who are still employed at the aggrieved companies.
However, despite repeated attempts by the GAWU to solicit the timely intervention of the Labour Department, to date, everything remains at a standstill.
“We have had those matters and we have continued to write letters after letters. We have been speaking to the Chief Labour Officer on many occasions and he has complained that he doesn’t have staff, and he cannot get people to address it, and he has asked his officers to address the matters. But I think we are tired now and the workers are frustrated and you know, people must do the jobs that they are being paid for.”

Narine reminded that in collective agreements between companies and the Union, once a breakdown occurs then the next process is that of conciliation. This process is facilitated by law but the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department continues to neglect to handle those matters, he noted.
“This is disturbing because they are rendering the collective agreement useless. If we were to go and strike at these places, they will say look we are not going through the procedure, the Ministry is not finished with the matters. So, we wrote the Minister, the Minister responsible for Social Protection (Amna Ally) and we have not had any reply so this is most disturbing and we are calling on them to stop sleeping, wake up, get up and deal with the matters you have an obligation to.”
According to the GAWU General Secretary, the outstanding matters range from dismissals of staff to violation of agreements between employees and their companies.
Almost six weeks have passed since the Union has written to Social Protection Minister Amna Ali seeking speedy intervention but to date, no response from the Minister has been solicited.
“Some of them might be related to one person if it is a dismissal but even though it is one person, others are looking on. Then some of it, even if it might be related to two or three persons it had principles that goes with it so it could be quite a number of people that are being affected. It is justice being delayed and justice being denied, there is no social protection and that is what this ministry ought to do,” he added.
In the recent past, several other workers’ unions would have criticised the Labour Department of its inability to address issues brought to its attention.