Public servants being mobilised for strike action

Feb 23, 2024 News

Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo

…as GPSU issues ultimatum for talks with govt

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) on Thursday issued an ultimatum to the Government of Guyana (GoG), warning of potential industrial action if the administration does not engage in negotiations with the union.

This ultimatum, delivered on Thursday, follows the GPSU’s dissatisfaction with the government’s alleged failure to participate in bargaining discussions. In a press statement released by the Union, it was stated that the Executive Council unanimously decided during its Statutory Executive Council Meeting held on February 21, 2024, to demand the government’s presence at the bargaining table.

“The issues affecting workers in the public service, and government’s reluctance to meet at the bargaining table, or to conciliate to break the deadlock that has arisen, were discussed extensively at the Union’s meeting on February 21, 2024, which resulted from meetings with its members throughout the country,” GPSU said.

“The union will continue to engage its members on this matter over the coming days through a committee which was established to ensure that the GPSU is mobilised, and all grievance procedures under the existing agreement is followed as we issue, and thereafter execute the ultimatum will now be directed to the government,” the Union continued.

Failure to comply, according to the GPSU, will result in immediate industrial action to address the government’s breach of various legal agreements and instruments, including the Agreement for the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes (1987), Article 147 (3) of the Constitution of Guyana, and Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act Cap 97:07.

Additionally, the GPSU highlighted its reliance on International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ratified by the Parliament of Guyana, highlighting the importance of collective bargaining rights and fair treatment of workers.

Moreover, the union expressed concerns over the government’s reluctance to address issues affecting workers in the public service and its failure to engage in conciliation to resolve existing deadlocks. This move by the Union comes at a time when the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) is in week three of its nationwide teachers strike.

Moreover, at his press conference yesterday, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo responded to the threat by the GPSU. “I know that there has been a correspondence between the GPSU and the Ministry of Labour. I saw a letter where they (GPSU) lost confidence in the Chief Labour Officer (Dhaneshwar Deonarine) and I would hope that you look at that. I asked the ministry that they should reveal the correspondence to the media. To see what they wrote him on,” the Vice President stated.

Jagdeo noted that the Deonarine had written to the Solicitor General, Nigel Hawke in relation to the correspondence between the ministry and the Union. The Vice President referenced a letter that the Solicitor General wrote to Deonarine. In that letter, Jagdeo said that the Solicitor General highlighted that the GPSU is already before the court with the same issue and as such advised the Chief Labour Officer to yield to the court’s jurisdiction.

Jagdeo added, “So they went to the court on the same matter that they are now raising about conciliation and to direct the ministry to engage with them. It’s before the court and now they give an ultimatum, to proceed with a strike contrary or in violation of the case they have before the Supreme Court seeking the same remedy and I am not going to go into any great details about whether the grievance procedures have been met because in their own ultimatum they conceded that the grievance procedure has not been exhausted.” Moreover, the Vice President questioned the timing and motives behind the ultimatum. He suggested that the GPSU’s actions might be opportunistic and politically motivated.

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Bharrat Jagdeo, GPSU, Labour, legal, strike

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