By Svetlana Marshall

Longtime politician and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge believes the abuses in the country’s labour force have gone on for far too long. He has flagged the treatment of Guyanese workers in the Oil and Gas Industry and the abandonment of Occupational, Health and Safety rules and regulations across sectors, particularly in the Mining and Construction Industries.

In his address at the Guyana Trade Unions Congress (GTUC) 5^th Triennial Delegates Conference, Mr. Greenidge said Guyanese are being shortchanged despite the country’s rapid economic growth, and the establishments of businesses by regional and international investors.  

Citing an example, the former Foreign Minister said Oil and Gas companies operating in Guyana are significantly underpaying Guyanese workers.

“Some of the contractors are retaining and employing Guyanese, first by giving them less favourable contracts than foreigners, including Caribbean persons. Giving them pay that is less favourable or less generous than others including Caribbean persons,” Mr Greenidge said.

A Stabroek Block Cost Recovery Audit for the period 2018-2020 recently revealed that the wage bill for expats hired by ExxonMobil Guyana was 18 times higher than the combined salaries of Exxon’s employees here in Guyana, the majority of whom are Guyanese.

The situation is no different for many of the other companies operating in the country’s Oil and Gas Industry.

Mr Greendige said to compound the situation, and in clear violation of their labour rights, some Guyanese workers have been barred from seeking representation, with some companies threatening workers that should they disclose of their emoluments or contractual agreements, their services would be terminated.

He said these “abuses” have gone on for far too long. He said in the Mining and Construction Industries, little attention is paid to the health and safety of workers.

“The abuses have gone too far, to the point where I believe, and again I am not an expert in these matters, but the question of health and safety, just to take one, that traditionally, in Guyana, was an area that we were quite strong in, and a Ministry of Labour, Health, paying close attention to these things. And today, apart from the mining collapses, which is now old hat so when two men die nobody worries, or children die, nobody worries, you have men that are trying to demonstrate their manhood by trying to build higher and higher skyscrapers but they are building the skyscrapers without making provision for the safety of the workers,” Mr Greenidge said.

 He said instead of making significant advances in the areas of workers’ rights, and Occupational, Health and Safety, the country has regressed, much to the detriment of workers.

Imploring the unions to do more for workers, and to push for them to be adequately trained to operate in the various industries, Mr Greenidge warned that with a shortage of 100,000 skilled workers, the country could find it self in a situation where “driving” could be an imported skill.

“We mustn’t wake up a morning and hear a minister say, oh yeah, we had handed out a whole set of work permits to foreigners. To do what? To drive trucks! Can you believe that? To drive trucks. I am not saying driving is not a skill…but you are in a country, where probably 8-9% of the people on the road with motor vehicles, never mind the electric bikes, motor vehicles that are lethal weapons, four wheels, a petrol engine, and the capacity to skill several people in one swoop. We have people that are good at that. They acquire driver license without ever taking a driving test, and yet, we go and recruit foreigners to come and do the same thing,” Greenidge said.

Greenidge’s admonition comes at a time when there are growing challenges in the Labour Industry, and complaints of attempts to sideline trade unions in the country. But, in his close to two hours long presentation, he said workers have a right to be represented by whomever they choose, and these is no room for exclusion.

“They have a mandate to undertake advocacy and representation. So, they are not asking for seats at the table, just in order to be there; they have a function, they are representatives. They may not be representatives of political groups, as such, their mandate cuts across political groups, and therefore, this idea of exclusion poses a problem,” he said.

He warned that breaches to the Labour Laws, whether national or international by government or companies, could affect the country’s global image before the United Nations and Commonwealth.

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