Submitted by Guyana Bauxite General Workers Union

A group of London-based Guyanese up the ante yesterday by taking its protest in front of the London Guyana High Commission and Russian Embassy as it continues the global appeal for solidarity and support to stop the degeneracy in Guyana. This protest was organized by Norman Browne, the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union’s (GB&GWU) UK representative and Dr. Michelle Yaa, human rights activist.

The organizers said the date (October 5) was selected to coincide with the date the PPP boasts as the ‘returned of democracy,’ to expose the facts that over the last 18 years Guyanese at home have been suffering under deteriorating conditions that no democratic society will condone. The evidence of increased crime, extrajudicial killings, violations of workers’ right, torture, exclusion of groups from national decision making, racial division, compromised electoral system and the erosion of the rule of law confirm that Guyana is not a democratic society.

Calling on all Guyanese and citizens around the world to raise their voices in protest against the degeneracy in the society the protest was joined by representatives from the WPA party and various organisations namely, Luwezi Kinshasa, Secretary General of the African Socialist International (ASI); Tongogara Danni from the Pan African Voice London; Kwabena Gyakye from Uhuru Newspaper and the UK’s branch of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP); and Frank Murray, Chair of the Black and Ethnic Advisory Committee of RMT (UK national transport union). Representation from these organisations lent support to the group’s commitment to stand in solidarity with the GB&GWU in their struggle to find justice for the 57 workers wrongfully dismissed by the Russian owned Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI) and to have the company respect the Collective Labour Agreement. For this reason the demonstration was extended to the Russian Embassy where we called for the immediate reinstatement of the 57 workers, for BCGI to meet with the union and respect the rights of the workers.

The group said though its numbers were manageable the impact was effective because embassy officials set off their panic alarm, used to alert police to security threats. Armed police showed up and soon realised that the demonstration was peaceful in which there was no incursion on the group’s part nor were they terrorists as the police were led to believe by the Russian officials whom they duly reprimanded for their inappropriate use of the panic alarm.

Bearing placards and chanting that emphasised the fact that the challenges of the Guyanese society are similar to those challenges that exist in dictatorial societies elsewhere attention was given to the PPP’s discriminatory and lawless policies that over the years have eroded the quality of life for many Guyanese. The examples of the Bauxite workers make this clear.

Since November 1992, the bauxite workers, their communities and members of the GB&GWU have been the recipient of a systematic policy to discriminate against them which trample of their constitutional rights. In January the GB&GWU submitted a complaint to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) seeking a redress by the way of a public inquiry into discrimination against bauxite workers and their communities on the grounds of race and political geography. Nine months after the ERC continues to flout its mandate, operating as if its primary task is to defend the government and the ruling party rather than dispassionately investigating issues with a view of protecting the rights of all Guyanese. A Resolution by the Caribbean Labour Solidarity include calls for the Guyanese Government to “intervene and stop this blatantly unlawful action by” the Russian owned company and to “follow established and hard-fought laws that protect poor workers” and for the Guyanese, Caribbean and Latin American trade unions, the UK Trade Union Congress and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers’ Union to support the GB&GWU in their struggle for trade union rights and justice.

Also, at present there exists a withdrawal of labour by workers employed by the state’s power company in Linden after the management refused to meet with the GB&GWU since it acquired recognition in 2007. Moreso the management has refused to address complaint made by the workers and since the withdrawal of labour has refused to engage the union or workers. Workers have been advised that trade unionist and Chairman of the Board, Carvil Duncan has advised the management that there should be no engagement with the union, and the workers should be left on work stoppage and be fired under the pretext that they are absent from work.

Crime continues to pose a threat to national security, population stability, racial cohesion and development. Over the years the government has used crime as a wedge to keep the races divided as evident in the way it promotes crime as the domain of the African community, call African dominated villages and villagers criminals and refuses to respond to public calls to modernize the police force, implement the Discipline Services Commission Report and access overseas help in crime fighting. The consequence of these inactions has seen licence given to the lawless to commit massacres, drive by shooting, ethnic cleansing and publicly flaunt their ill gotten wealth comforted by the fact that the government’s association, inactions and cheap politics will ensure that they never face the courts.

The group said it purpose was to make the international community aware of what is going on in Guyana under the PPP government since for too long Guyanese have been living under the spectre of violence, racism, exploitation and abuse of their resources. It demanded that Government honour its constitutional commitment to the society and use its powers to expedite the end of extra-judicial killings, torture of anyone in Police custody, gunfire exchanges resulting in deaths of innocent civilians without any inquiry against security personnel responsible, excessive use of force by the security services, abuse of women and children by state officials,‘criminalizing of social protests’, racial discrimination against African Guyanese, disenfranchisement and exploitation of working peoples by foreign companies. It also called on the people of Guyana to speak out and hold the government accountable since injustice anywhere poses a threat to justice everywhere. It’s time to take a stand!