Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton has been accused by the General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald of undermining the collective bargaining process between unions and his ministry. Hamilton was keen to note that he disagrees with such a perception, adding in an interview with Guyana Standard that the administration has made progress in this regard.
During an interview last week, McDonald explained that collective bargaining has been treated with disrespect from the Labour Ministry, which she further accused of driving a wedge between unions and its representors. She noted that many outstanding issues have remained on the back burner, especially since there have also been alleged acts of corruption.
“The Minister of Labour does not see collective bargaining as something important. This was the same regime that called for the return of collective bargaining when they were in opposition… what we have seen is the return of a total dictatorship when it comes to the business of labour under this regime,” McDonald said.
She pointed to the number of industrial accidents that occurred within the last year. According to McDonald, the reports from several commissions have not been made public. The GS then called for transparency while adding that there needs to be a halting of the current undermining of collecting bargaining processes.
“There are many people in the public service that are scared to speak out on what’s happening with regard to their working environments especially with their unions. This is appalling,” McDonald said. She highlighted that in the past, workers were allowed to protest against their places of work. McDonald noted that employers are now prohibiting protest action.
Meanwhile, the Labour Minister refuted the claims made by the General Secretary. He noted the Ministry of Labour has met with various unions to iron out major issues that were ignored during the previous administration.
In a direct response to collective bargaining claims, Minister Hamilton said. “That is total baloney! The record is there. There have been many agreements signed, for example between GTT and the Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union (PTWU), the Guyana Forestry Commission and GAWU, and Skeldon Sugar Estate and GAWU…”
“These were just some of many collective agreements signed.” He noted too that there were a number of employees who won various cases against errant employers. Hamilton said that millions of dollars were awarded to those complainants. Taking these and other successes into consideration, Hamilton said he cannot agree with the comments made by this colleague.
