Chief Labor Officer criticizes industrial action by Guyoil workers

Guyana’s Chief Labor Officer, Charles Ogle, is contending that the Guyoil workers who took industrial action over their bonuses and salary increases on Wednesday breached protocols.
On Wednesday, about 300 workers from the company decided to strike after they were told there will be no bonuses and salary increases being paid for the year. This was despite an agreement made by the company this year to pay the workers their bonuses and give a salary increase of eight percent.

Some showed up to the gas stations, however, engaged in sit-ins while some were out with plaque cards demanding their bonuses and increases. The industrial action was supported by the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU). The CCWU’s president, Sherwood Clarke, was quoted as saying that the previous board company had agreed to pay salary increases based on a performance appraisal system, but a new board was installed by the current administration and that board pulled out from the agreement.

Ogle spoke to another section of the media, where he maintained that their strike action breaches protocols and labour laws. He said that the CCWU should make management aware when workers want to engage in industrial action, but that was not done.
“We had a…meeting and we are at a stalemate presently, the company is offering nothing and the Union is asking something…I wrote the union for them to come in…they didn’t inform me or they didn’t inform management. The Union is saying it is a sit in and the management is saying it is a strike,” the Chief Labour Officer said.

He further stated that he told the President of CCWU, Sherwood Clarke, on Monday, to delay any strike action since the Ministry of Labour was brought into the matter and was working on a solution. Clarke still decided to take industrial action despite the Labor Ministry’s intervention, according to Ogle.
“I checked with them and I am monitoring the situation. I even checked with the parties to see if there have been any movements, if the Union is lowering their proposal or if the company is offering something because if the parties don’t move then there is no way we can solve the problem,” Ogle was quoted saying.
Kaieteur News understands that the CCWU and Guyoil have been in negotiation since July of this year to get the workers their benefits.

It was reported that in light of the strikes, management at some locations have threatened to fire workers if they do not work or they will replace them with persons who have pending applications in the company’s system.