Workers of Coomacka company to return to work after Minister, Regional Chairman intervention

Jan 10, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Regional Chairman of RDC Region Ten, Renis Morian has expressed satisfaction over the resolving of some labour related issues within the region. He disclosed that the outstanding issues saw workers of a Coomacka based company striking recently. The incident which occurred several days ago saw residents of Coomacka seeking the urgent intervention of the Regional Chairman. He was accompanied by Labour Officer, Ms. Eleze Hall-Benjamin; NIS inspector Ms. Natalie Reynolds; Senior Occupational and Safety Officer, Mr. Roydon Croal; Regional Councillor, Mr. Tracy Johnson, along with two ranks from the McKenzie Police Station.
Morian disclosed that he was invited by the residents and therefore sought to visit to see what assistance he can provide in having their issues resolved. He related that the workers told him of several malpractices and as such, he sought to have the allegations investigated. He said that among the allegations made were workers working overtime without compensation, lack of safety gears, summary dismissals of workers who object to this and other malpractices.
The Regional Chairman said that in a discussion with the owners be he stressed that the Government of Guyana takes the security of tenure and workers safety very seriously. As such, he reinforced that the regional administration also sees workers’ rights and payments as very serious issues, and they won’t allow those to slip.
“I stressed to the owners that they have a responsibility to their workers and the government of Guyana through the regional administration takes this responsibility very seriously. No longer can we continue to have companies taking advantage of our workers whether they are locals and/or foreign. The government will continue to put systems in place to ensure that workers’ rights and safety continue to be of paramount importance,” Morian said. He noted that the investigation into the matter brought by the workers commenced, adding that they were pursuing justice for the residents of Coomacka.
The Regional Chairman said that after discussion and an urgent intervention of Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Mr. Sydney Allicock, along with himself and the Labour Officer they were able to amicably have the issues addressed with the management of the company.
“We were able to come up with a number of solutions to the many issues that were facing workers and we are happy that the management of the Coomacka based company were receptive and willing to have the issues addressed. This, resulted in the workers being satisfied with the decisions and subsequent actions of management,” he said.
The Regional Chairman noted that the workers are all expected to return to work tomorrow, adding that there will also be an upward pay adjustment. He said that among some of the matters that have been addressed to the satisfaction of the workers include workers being paid for overtime work. Also, adequate safety gears will be issued to all employees along with the significant improvement of the general working environment. “We at the Regional Administration will continue to look out for the residents and workers within the region as we have a responsibility and we intend to maintain our responsibility. Further, we along with the Government of Guyana will continue also to hold companies accountable to ensure that they maintain the law and regulations as it relates to operating companies and ensuring that workers rights are adhered to. This is important because at the end of the day, they must recognise that our human resources are of critical importance to us here in this country,” he declared.
Public Relations Dept.
RDC # 10

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