‘Unions are tired of window shopping’ – UGWU President

Mar 25, 2017 News

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-but administration insists its has workers and students’ interest at heart

“We are tired of window dressing,” said President of the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU),

Bruce Haynes. He alluded to several consultations with the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Jacob Opadeyi, that have yielded no results regarding a pay hike for workers.
Professor Griffith took up the post of Vice Chancellor in June 2016 and according to Haynes, “We accepted that we needed to give him time to settle in.” But, according to Haynes, the unions – the UGWU and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association – have accepted that “the honeymoon period is over.”
The unions, on Wednesday, commenced a picketing exercise which is expected to continue until an acceptable resolution is realised. But Haynes was particularly troubled by the fact that “it has become a norm for the unions to picket in order to get attention.” The union had engaged several picketing exercise in the past over similar issue.
According to Haynes, “We had preliminary discussions with [Professor Griffith] and he said he didn’t want industrial action to be an issue under his tenure…even before his appointment he said that.”
But according to the UGWU President the Vice Chancellor has been keen on having consultations that do not allow the unions to have any significant input. “It has just been window dressing and since November of last year we have decided that we have had enough consultation so we wrote initiating negotiations,” said Haynes.
According to Haynes, while the Vice Chancellor has had several town hall type of meetings and these were good, “we went to a lot of meetings…We heard from him but he hasn’t been hearing from us…He seems to have a different agenda.”
The aim of the unions, Haynes said, is to have a date set by which the salary negotiation talks could be concluded.
In a joint statement issued by the unions it was noted that the move to industrial action came as a result of the university administration’s failure to respond within the timeframe requested to the unions’ repeated requests and formal demands for the early and urgent commencement of salary negotiations.
The unions related in the statement that the workers indicated at a general meeting on March 7 last that they were not prepared to wait until it is convenient for the Vice Chancellor to begin salary negotiations in May 2017.
“The administration seems determined to withhold, indefinitely, the 15 percent increase recommended by the government in the last budget. The Unions wrote the Vice Chancellor on March 8, requesting an answer to their letter by March 13. Their letter was acknowledged but the request for specific answers has been ignored,” the unions outlined.
The unions claim that they fear that this crucial issue (the commencement of salary negotiations) will be swept under the table again at Council meeting at the end of March. “The Unions reiterate the importance of industrial action in this ethos of continued neglect of one of the fundamental pillars of the university’s sustainability – staff well-being,” the statement added.
But the university administration in a counter response said that it has been meeting in good faith with the union executives for several months to end the cycle of conflict and dysfunction that has plagued the institution.
“When he took office in June Professor Griffith invited leaders from both the UGSSA and UGWU to meet on a regular basis. He listened to concerns raised by staff and faculty and emphasised that one of his top priorities is to address the legitimate concerns of staff and students,” a statement from UG’s Public Relations Office said.
The statement added, “It is, therefore, disappointing to see that the unions have resorted to industrial action while efforts are being made to resolve outstanding matters. The top issues for the unions have always involved salaries and benefits, and this administration is committed to increasing salaries.”
It was noted that the Vice-Chancellor explained to the leaders of the unions on February 27, last, and to hundreds of staff at a Town Hall meeting at Turkeyen on March 20, in the absence of a decision by the University Council, it would be irresponsible of him to name a percentage salary increase, especially since one has to consider the source of the funds to pay the increase. The matter of salaries, it was noted, will be part of the 2017 revised budget, which will be one of three critical items the Vice-Chancellor will be placing on the agenda of the special UG Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 30, 2017.
The UG administration in its missive which was sent out to the media revealed that the revised budget, and the two other items—the creation of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation and the establishment of a new campus—were the subject of a campus consultation on March 15.
The consultation in question it noted saw the attendance of UG’s Academic Board, the leaders of the workers unions and the leaders of the University of Guyana Student Society were all invited to the consultation.
“However, the leaders of the unions chose to boycott it. There is copious evidence of the administration’s responsiveness to the concerns of staff. For example, in November 2016, the employment of seven individuals from the UG Printery/Bookstore was regularised by offering them permanent contracts; in January 2017, three persons from the group of casual employees were appointed Tradesmen in the Facilities Maintenance Department; and in February 20 casual employees were given contracts for one year and placed on the monthly payroll.
All of these now will become part of the University’s financial obligations,” the statement added.
It was underscored that “it is the current administration that increased the pensions of some 50 individuals who were receiving less than $20,000 per month. Beginning January 1, 2017, no one receives less than $20,000 per month. It is also noteworthy that the University grants millions of dollars of educational waivers annually where employees studying for diplomas and degrees pay no tuition fees.”
The administration, in its statement, added that the list of benefits does not include the improvements in the facilities that have begun under the Tenth Vice-Chancellor. “In this respect, earlier this week, on March 21, to be exact, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) advanced the process for the construction of the following: a Teaching and Learning Complex for Science and Mathematics; a Students’ Social Complex; and a new Maintenance Building.
Also approved were rehabilitation of the Pere Street property, and rehabilitation works to the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. Important, too, are the broader enhancements, such as Turkeyen and Tain Talks and the Undergraduate Research Programme,” the statement highlighted.
Other recent developments detailed in the statement include Wifi access across the Turkeyen campus via E-Governance, the placement of a fiber optic link between the Turkeyen and Berbice campuses, the creation of The University of Guyana Press, and the launch of the UG/Giftland VIP Card, which provides staffers and students with special discounts on purchases, part of a broader partnership being developed with the Giftland Group.
Despite all of the measures that have already been put in place, the UG administration has asserted that it remains committed to improving the salaries and working conditions at the university and to enhancing the quality of staff performance to deliver quality educational services to students.

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