| Announces 6.5% hike for workers on dutyby Leonard GildarieRussian-owned RUSAL, whose subsidiary,Cheap China Jerseys, the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), is facing a two-week old strike by workers, yesterday announced that it is voluntarily offering current staffers a 6.5 per cent increase in salaries/wages.The company,Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shpping, in a released statement to Kaieteur News, said that more than 300 workers turned up for duties yesterday, operating two shifts. Another 113 are on days off and sick leave.But General Secretary (ag) of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU), Leslie Gonsalves, yesterday said that he is unaware of the increase.According to the company, management at the start of the new shift yesterday “voluntarily announced an increase in wages and salaries rates.”“Having reviewed the financial position and notwithstanding the losses suffered, management has determined that it can afford to increase wages by 6.5 per cent to those employees who were on active payroll at December 10th, 2009.”The increase in rates will be paid retroactive to October 1, 2009 and will not result in any loss of jobs from the current employment roll.However, in an apparent signal that the company may not consider taking back more than 80 workers who were dismissed for being part of the strike, RUSAL noted that the company is also committed to maintain the same level of employment for 2010, barring no major set-backs on global markets such as loss of markets or sharp commodities price decline.RUSAL operates mining sites at Aroaima and Kwakwani, in the Upper Berbice River area.“We plan to make the retroactive payments with the regular pay at the next pay date,China Jerseys Cheap, December 17th, 2009 in time for Christmas holidays.”Meanwhile, RUSAL said that despite the claims attributed to “union leaders” in yesterday’s edition of Kaieteur News, that an announcement earlier this week on workers turnout was “erroneous, totally untrue.”Thursday’s production of finished bauxite was 4,076 metric tonnes (mt) compared with the target of 4,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale,000, whilst the actual for month to date was 20,241 mt against the plan of 24,Wholesale Jerseys,000 mt- a shortfall of 3,759 mt or 16 per cent despite RUSAL being out of work for three days in this month so far. “So, relatively we are ahead of the production target for the month to date,” the company said yesterday.It is unclear, as yet, what kind of implications the announcement yesterday by RUSAL will have for a meeting next week, since Gonsalves yesterday said that the union was preparing for a meeting with the company and Chief Labour Officer, Yoganand Persaud, next Tuesday.On Thursday, GB&GWU said that RUSAL’s announcement that it will unilaterally increase wages and salaries for bauxite workers on strike is yet again another violation of the Laws of Guyana and the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA).“In addition to this illegal action there is also the attempt to depart from established industrial relations practice. It should be noted this proposed unilateral imposition mirrors the government of Guyana – which is a partner investor in BCGI and employer of bauxite workers – treatment of wage/salary increases to public sector workers,” the union said.The company,Cheap Jerseys Online, in a letter to the union last week, said it is severing the CLA with the union and will be making moves to de-recognise it.BCGI has no authority to terminate the Collective Labour Agreement entered into between the company and the GB&GWU, the union statement said Thursday.Some 40 employees on Tuesday picketed the office of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who has the responsibilities for mining in Guyana.On Tuesday, former Chief Magistrate, Juliet Holder-Allen, and Chairman of Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, joined with the workers and their union, Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GBWU).On November 22, workers at RUSAL’s operations at Aroaima and Kwakwani downed tools after talks for wages’ increase broke down, shutting down operations at the two sites.Almost 80 workers, including shop stewards of the union had been dismissed because of the strike. |
