… as CEO affirms dialogue and fair bargaining
Just before negotiations between the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU) and
Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) is set to commence, the Union members and workers gathered in front of the company’s 79 Brickdam, Georgetown head office, and while it was not a raucous demonstration, they demanded that the official either begin looking into the affairs of every employee, or pack up and leave.
GPTWU President Harold Shepherd said the company over the last couple of months has been breaching the Collective Labour Agreement it had signed onto with the Union and had begun violating the labor laws of the country.
On several occasions, he said, the Union had cause to refer some labour breaches to the Labour Ministry (now the Social Protection Ministry). What is very disturbing, Shepherd said, are the bouts of meetings the HR Manager, along with the industrial officer have been conducting with workers of the company. He said while the Union does not have any issues with that per se, “when it comes to the condition of service, those issues must be dealt with by the Workers Union”.
Shepherd voiced his grave concern over what he said is a new trend being undertaken by the company, where it is “taking on lot of temporary employees”, who, in the end, will have nothing to benefit from.
“You find that contract employees are not benefitting from anything besides their salaries. They are not entitled to the group pension plan, because they have not been regularised… They cannot go to the bank for loans, they cannot go to courts for a hire purchase, because they are not permanent”, he told Guyana Times. He said the company needs to respect workers rights and confirm those contract workers.
Shepherd also addressed the issue of the merging of the service centre staff with the call centre. His contention is that the two are different altogether.
“Now to merge the two and going to the extreme to be asking the service centre staff who are on fixed shift to start working rotating shift, the Union has to be involved, and that is what we are not getting”, he said.
The situation seemed to have spread to branches across the country as suggested by New Amsterdam board member Eli Hazel.
“Our problem is justice. All that we need is for the persons in authority to come and sit with us and talk. We found out here that the senior persons here are doing things on their own… this thing has been going on for a very long time, and it must stop… all we want is for them to come and talk with us, so that we could make our company a loving company”, Hazel told Guyana Times.
Another employee, Leslyn Harris, who is also General Secretary of the Union, said members of the public would believe that employees are enjoying a good life under the current state of the affairs. She said this is far from the truth.
“We are beyond frustration; the members are at a boiling point. They were at the point where they were willing to come out and protest. Most of the time the public believes that the employees are treated nicely… We have technicians who are not only working as technicians but by a “one man team”… They drive, look after the security of all the things in the vehicle, throw wires across the road, and sadly, they are only paid as a technician” said Leslyn.
She also noted “We have worked for years to build this company … they need us to keep the wheels of this company turning. GTT cannot survive without us.”
Meanwhile, following the demonstration, the telephone giant said it will not be intimidated by the protest action.
Immediately after the protest, the telephone company said, while it supports the rights of the workers and joins its Union in rallying for continuous, improved working conditions; it has already made it clear that it would not be intimidated when it comes to striking a balance between rights and the long-term sustainability of the company.
GTT said it is about to commence Collective Labour Agreement discussions and as such, will engage in dialogue when at the bargaining table.
The CEO said the company is about its employees and that it has been actively working with them and with the GPTWU, listening to and addressing concerns.
As such, he said GTT looks forward to its ongoing meetings and collaboration with the Union in implementing changes that would benefit both employees and the company as a whole, especially as it prepares to enter a more competitive environment.
With more than 650 direct employees and offering indirect employment to over 2000 persons, GTT is one of the largest private employers in Guyana.
The company said it has continued to show its commitment to its employees by implementing improved health and safety measures and making investments where necessary, including specialised training for safety and operational personnel.
The company said it is also guided by its Health and Safety Officers to uphold requirements and regulations and continues to reach out to the GPTWU in those areas which are collectively agreed.
