Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
Trinidadian oil and gas workers in solidarity with Guyanese sent home without pay
Sherwin Downer, NMWUG President
Kaieteur News – It could be described as a case of being your brother’s keeper as Trinidadian oil workers here are in full support of Guyanese going public after they were sent home without pay earlier this year.
In fact, it was the Trinidadian counterparts at the named joint venture firm who alerted Guyanese that they were being underpaid and treated differently from them.
Sherwin Downer, President of the National Mines Workers Union of Guyana (NMWUG) told the Kaieteur News that he is actively engaging the matter where some 70 Guyanese workers at the support services operation were sent home until further notice and without pay. Apart from being sent home, the workers complained about issues with their National Insurance Scheme (NIS) payment, overtime payment, working conditions, income tax payments, safety gear and working conditions. They complained that they were not receiving allowances, while their Trinidadian counterparts were receiving stipends two and three times the salaries of Guyanese workers. They said that their pay is also different from their foreign counterparts when it comes to holidays and other off time.
Downer told the newspaper that it was the Trinidadians who highlighted the discriminative pay to the locals when comparing their salaries. That is when it was realized that Guyanese were being paid significantly less. “And as we would say in Guyana, they would ‘rub’ the Guyanese about it,” Downer said. He stated further that the workers were made to understand that the Guyanese firm would also receive allowances for their workers, but has not been making the payments. “My information is that the Trinidadians have commended the Guyanese workers for standing up for themselves. I understand that they are not too pleased about what is happening to the Guyanese workers and are in solidarity with them,” the union leader said.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) told the Kaieteur News that they too were aware of the “sad” issues the workers are facing at the oil and gas support firm. He explained that the workers are very afraid and concerned about information getting back to their well-connected employer. A source told the newspaper that when some workers had made checks on their NIS or sought redress about what they are facing, information about their moves would be with the employer by the time the workers got back at the establishment, “and they would know exactly who said what and who did what,” the newspaper was told.
Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton said that he personally is not aware of the particular matter, but spoke strongly against what the locals are facing. He told the newspaper that he is not aware of any report being made by the affected workers or the employer. He said he was also unaware as to whether a report was with the Chief Labour Officer but highlighted, that there are procedures to be followed when dealing with this type of matter.
Minister Hamilton said that even if the workers were sent home until further notice, a report has to be made with the ministry’s labour department. The employer, he said, has to provide all information relating to the affected workers and why they were being sent home. The Minister added his hopes that if the affected workers have not done so, that they should make contact with the ministry to have the issues of discriminative pay and others investigated.
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