RUSAL, bauxite workers need collective bargaining agreement – Trotman

…says fired striking workers will be reinstated

Amid the recent industrial dispute whereby 61 Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) workers were fired for protesting against a one per cent arbitrary salary increase, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said that better systems should be implemented to reduce the possibility of such occurrences in the future.
Trotman told the media on Monday that a collective bargaining agreement should be forged between the company and its workers, since the present situation was testament to the absence of such a pact.

“I think, ultimately, the better systems need to be put in place for managing good relations. On one hand, I think the company needs to understand that we do have laws and the workers need to follow a collective bargain agreement, so the answer lies in getting a firm collective bargain between the company and the workers. As long as there is an absence of such an agreement, we’re going to have this tension which erupts periodically,” the Minister said.
BCGI – which is owned by RUSAL – dismissed 61 workers on February 19, since the employment contract prohibits them from downing tools and engaging in strike action.
Following several rounds of meetings between Government, the workers and company officials, Minister Trotman said he expected a positive response from the bauxite company by Wednesday.

Reinstated
“The workers will all be reinstated, and I think nothing short of that is expected … I would expect for us to get back into production and normalcy by Wednesday the latest. RUSAL ought to be able to give not just the Government but, most importantly, the workers some positive news,” said the Minister.

He said the expectation was that RUSAL would stand by Guyana’s laws, as the Government stood by the company when sanctions were imposed by the US. Moreover, there is need for the company to strike a balance with its employees to ensure that they accept the wages offered, the Minister added.
“We want to see workers that are comfortable, both with their wages and conditions of work. And we want to see a company working in Guyana that is earning a fair rate of return on its investments, so it’s finding that balance between aiding the company and ensuring that the workers are okay. We stood with the company during its travails with the sanctions. We expect that the company will stand with us and respect the laws in Guyana and the workers.”

Union
During a meeting at the Labour Department last week, the BCGI representatives said that the company did not recognise the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU).
“We have no relation with this union,” a company representative had said. “It happened before I came to Guyana to work … it was an alternative poll [by workers to unionise]. This poll took place on October 3, 2017. It was won by Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union.
“Only a few weeks after, we got information that the judge in (a case decided) this board was constituted with some breaches and could be considered illegal…. I think many people knew the board was illegal. But nobody said to us such a (poll) could be considered nil and void,” the company’s representative said.
This is a reference to the judgement issued in the case of the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board (TURCB) versus the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG).
FITUG General Secretary Carvil Duncan had claimed that TURCB unilaterally appointed a chairman in 2015 without consulting it, and only recognised the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC).
In the written judgment issued by the High Court on November 8, 2017, it said FITUG was not consulted prior to the appointment of a chair in 2015. This was found to be in violation of the Trade Union Recognition Act, especially as it relates to the selection of a chairman of the organisation.
When asked, however, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle maintained that the GB&GWU by virtue of winning that poll should be the duly-recognised representative of the bauxite workers. This is, after all, the approach the Ministry has adopted.
“They (RUSAL) can’t say that. A poll was done there. The Union is the recognised union; there’s no doubt about that. The GB&GWU is the recognised union. They did a poll and the Union won that poll.”
The poll came against the backdrop of eight years of refusal by the BCGI to treat with the GB&GWU. This Union has been crusading against the transgressing of workers’ constitutional right to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (Article 147), and the violation of Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act (1997) in the domestic and international communities.
The GB&GWU, as a result of the poll, had renewed calls for the BCGI to honour the laws of Guyana and treat with the Union according to said laws, saying failing to do otherwise would constitute a breach of the law and be continued high-handedness and disrespect shown by management for the sovereignty of Guyana and the workers of Guyana.