Rusal workers demand meeting with Govt. -want to be treated as human beings

Jan 16, 2019 News

Several months after the US slapped sanctions on bauxite giant, Rusal, the workers in Guyana are again agitating for better working conditions.
The workers, several hundred of them, have written the Managing Director of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), the local subsidiary of Rusal, asking for an urgent meeting on issues of pay.
“We the workers of this company felt that the subject matter of wages and salary increases have been swept under the carpet by this management. For a few years now, we haven’t had any increase and we the workers are tired of this.”
The workers, who are operating in the Upper Berbice area, Region Ten at especially the Kurubuka Mine Site, made it clear that 2018 had been a very difficult year because of the sanctions that have been placed on the company by the US.
“…which was no fault of our own and thus, banks refuse to lend us any loans. Due to these series of events, many of us workers had to put many of our projects on hold. Many of us who were in the process of owning our own homes had to cancel it,” the letter to the Managing Director said.
“What is so frustrating about this whole situation is that management bluntly refuses to keep us in the loop about what is going on with this company and due to this, we feel very disrespected. How can this management say that they have our best interest at heart?”
The workers said that this year, they will no longer sit idly by and accept any more of the blatant “disregards for humanity and our families because whatever is done to us automatically affects our families. We have been patient enough and it’s time for you to step up and start treating us as decent human beings.”
Among some of the improvements, the workers want to see are an increase in salaries and recognition of its union.

A worker in the Upper Berbice, Rusal Mine Site.

“Workers and management need to have a meeting, which is very rare to rectify our other grievances as early as possible. We do hope that you take this request most seriously.”
Last year, amid an investigation by the US into interference by Russia in the elections of that former, authorities placed sanctions on senior officials, including on Rusal’s principals.
By extension, those companies that were doing business with Rusal, including Oldendorff Carriers, which ships the bauxite from Guyana, were affected.
However, it appears that Oldendorff never pulled out as announced.
It has started shipping again.
The Russian operation, although providing critical jobs for especially Berbicians and residents from the Region Ten area, has been troubled since coming to Guyana in the 2000s.
It ran into labour problems in late 2000s when BCGI fired more than 50 workers for taking strike action.

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