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RUSAL to issue statement on ‘spade’ threat allegations

May 15, 2011 News

– denies GM was sent home

Russian-owned, RUSAL/Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), is under scrutiny for a recent incident in which its General Manager is accused of using a spade to threaten workers last Sunday, says that it will be issuing a full response shortly.
While Kaieteur News was told on Friday by a lawyer for the company that Ruslan Volokhov was relieved of his duties, the company denied this and issued a short statement.
According to RUSAL’s local representative, Ramdeo Kumar, on Sunday, May 8, at 04:25hrs, management was informed of a problem with the water system at its Aroaima campsite.
This problem was also being experienced by all residents of Mapletown, including at the senior staff quarters.
“Management promptly responded and resolved this problem by 07:10hrs and water was restored.  Out of 189 employees on day’s shift, 19 employees chose not to report to work due to “lack of water” for bathing, etc.”
The General Manager, on learning that they were not going to work, proceeded to the campsite to investigate.
“He remonstrated strongly with the employees as they were affecting the production program for the shift and then they left for their shift (six hours later). This matter was considered closed by management at this point as everything was restored.”
The Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) on Friday said that it received complaints from workers that Volokhov threatened them with a spade. Several workers were seated in a bus at the time.
Volokhov allegedly was carrying a spade in his hands and “threatened to bash their heads and faces then bury them. This threat was made to the workers when they were in the company’s bus at the camp site.”
GTUC, in the statement, was clearly not happy over the incident on Sunday, describing it as slavery-like attitude by the manager.
“This is plantation slavery for the General Manager to dare to think he can come to this sovereign country to violate workers like this.”
GTUC went further.  “For him being given the courtesy to come and exploit our natural resources and to dare to think the exploitation of our natural resources is equal to the exploitation of our manpower and laws, and the violations of the citizens’ rights and dignity we find totally unacceptable.
“We call on BCGI to sanction his actions, and call on the Government of Guyana to sanction BCGI to protect the rights of Guyanese labour.”
Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union and RUSAL have been clashing with Government for the past 18 months after 50-plus workers, mainly union representatives, were fired for leading strike actions for better working conditions.
Several unions have accused Government of staying silent.
RUSAL operates mines at Kwakwani and Aroaima, in the upper Berbice area.

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