GPSU mulls legal action against GGMC over union dues
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said it plans to take legal action over the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over the alleged withholding of union dues from employees for several months.
From left: Mortimer Livan, Dawn Gardener and other executives of the GPSU during Thursday’s press conference
The GPSU has denied that GGMC workers have opted to end their membership with the Union. In fact, GPSU executive Mortimer Livan debunked a newspaper article that sought to draw that conclusion.
“Completely contrary to the headline story there has been no breakaway from GPSU representation,” Livan told a news conference on Thursday, while explaining that no resignations were ever submitted.
He explained that union dues are statutorily deducted from members’ salaries and handled by the agency concerned and afterwards handed over to the union. Liven said the handing over exercise has not taken place for some months now, and the GPSU is not assuming that GGMC workers did not pay dues.
However, the GPSU executive noted that the dues were deducted from workers’ salaries premised on the authorisation they submitted to the GPSU which instructed management to make the deductions. This, Livan said, was in keeping with the rules of the GPSU and to pay the unions such amounts.
But that is not the case, as the Union claimed it has evidence that these amounts that are being deducted from the GGMC are being “arbitrarily and unlawfully withheld.”
Another GPSU executive, Dawn Gardener said although it was reported that the workers made the request to have the monies deducted, the GPSU has not received any letter of resignations.
“The GPSU wishes to state that it has been persistent in its representation of the workers of the GGMC in a range of matters pertaining to their conditions of service,” she explained.
Gardener said repeated requests have been made for the GGMC to engage the Union on critical health and safety matters. However, the Union is still awaiting confirmation of a date of such a meeting.
The GPSU official said once the meeting is finalised, it intends to raise various work-related issues which prevailed because of the negligence and incompetence of the former branch executives.
“We stand, as well, prepared to engage our members at the GGMC on such matters as they would wish to discuss with us and continue to work with in pursuit of solutions,” she added.
The Union has already written the GGMC to meet and discuss this issue. However, if the matter is not resolved, the GPSU plans to proceed with legal action in two weeks’ time.
