Strike perspective
Strike perspective THE almost two-month public sector pay strike ended last week after the Government and the unions signed a terms of resumption agreement. The pay dispute has been referred to arbitration and a full resumption of work is projected by Tuesday. Chief Reporter Robert Bazil put together the following recap of developments in the strike period. ** April 27: The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said it planned to call out public sector workers on strike from April 28 over a 40 per cent pay increase demand for this year. Public Service Minister, Mr. George Fung-On doubted this would be successful. ** April 28: Police were investigating reports that Minister Fung-On was threatened in his Georgetown home by protesters in a GPSU vigil. ** April 29: Members of GPSU who invaded government ministries and departments in Georgetown and ordered workers to join their strike have been accused of gross intimidation. ** April 30: A rash of bomb scares at some government ministries and departments and at least one school in Georgetown marked the second day of the strike called by the GPSU. ** President Janet Jagan assured the country's public sector workers that the Government does not bear them a grudge. ** May 1: The traditional May Day rally in Georgetown was split with one of the strongest demands yet from the largest union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union, for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to get in line with the democracy trend in the country. ** May 3: Contingency plans were being put in place to cope with disruptions in the ferry services and other areas caused by the GPSU strike. ** May 4: The Government signalled it may have to review its relationship with the GPSU because of events in the strike over pay but said it wanted to continue talks. ** May 5: Essential services in the country will be maintained while the strike in the public sector for more pay continues, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) assured. ** Police charged three GPSU leaders with being in an illegal procession, a move the labour movement claimed had jeopardised efforts to break the stalemate in the pay dispute with the Government. ** May 6: Cabinet met in a special session and authorised a negotiating team to open exploratory talks with the GPSU on issues related to its continuing strike. ** May 7: The Home Affairs Ministry released telephone numbers and other specifics related to bomb scare calls which disrupted work in several government ministries, agencies and schools. ** May 8: The World Bank told the GPSU that debt relief funds earmarked for Guyana should be used to benefit all Guyanese and not for more pay for government employees. ** May 10: The GPSU said it will reopen wages talks with the Government if it provided certain key information. ** May 11: As contingency plans were maintained in areas affected by the pay strike in the public sector, the GPSU announced it would resume negotiations with the Government. ** May 12: Some teachers responded to a strike call by the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) but Chief Education Officer, Mr. Ed Ceaser said he had not ordered any school closed. ** The Government and the GPSU were set to open exploratory talks on ending the strike. ** May 13: The Board of Directors of the World Bank approved a plan to write off some US$256M more in debt for Guyana, but there were warnings that public sector pay demands can cripple the scheme. ** The Government and the unions in the public sector are to meet again to continue informal pay talks on the wages dispute. ** May 14: President of the GPSU, Mr. Patrick Yarde accused a senior World Bank official of interfering in the current pay dispute in the public service here. ** Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon said the Government would put up a counter-proposal to the GPSU demand for a 40 per cent pay hike this year. ** May 15: Acting Finance Minister, Mr. Michael Shree Chan assured that all government employees who have been working during this month will be paid. ** May 17: President Janet Jagan met Acting General Secretary of the TUC, Mr. Lincoln Lewis. ** May 18: Police said they were forced to use pellet guns and teargas to disperse a crowd of about 200 on Water Street, Georgetown, in a confrontation that left at least 17 persons wounded, three of them seriously. ** May 19: Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis yesterday said he was disturbed that elements involved in previous street demonstrations in Georgetown have emerged in the strike marches organised by the GPSU. ** Swift reaction by a number of outraged market women and the timely arrival of the riot Police saved an elderly woman of Indian descent from an unknown fate at the hands of four young thugs in Georgetown. ** May 20: Differences over the general strike called by the TUC to back the GPSU 40 per cent pay hike claims worsened with GAWU pulling out from the umbrella body. ** May 21: Officials of the ministries of Education and Labour met to discuss the proposed terms or work resumption submitted by the teachers union. ** Teachers who have been on strike for almost two weeks are to return to work under an agreement reached. ** A molotov cocktail was hurled at the Willems Timber and Trading Company on Water Street, Georgetown, by a group of street protesters. ** May 22: The Georgetown Hospital reported that a critically ill patient died during a mob attack when doctors were also beaten. ** The Government formally proposed sending the wages dispute with the GPSU to an arbitration tribunal, with account to be taken of the country's international financial agreements. ** May 23: Heightened security was in force at the Georgetown Hospital following an attack on the Accident and Emergency Unit by a mob. A seriously ill patient died, and two doctors beaten and verbally abused in a fracas. ** May 24: The Government and unions in the four-week strike in the public sector agreed to begin discussing terms of reference. ** May 25: The GPSU said it wanted the Government to up its extra-budgetary offer to $500M to fund a public sector wage hike this year, and delay arbitration in a compromise to end its four-week old strike. ** May 28: The Forest Products Association of Guyana announced that the strike was seriously affecting the forestry sector. ** Protests by public sector strikers attempting to shut down the Georgetown Hospital worsened with Police taking action to clear entrances to the compound after nurse aides were reportedly beaten. ** May 29: The Government said it is to respond to a request for an interim payout for striking public sector employees from the GPSU which has also asked the administration to propose terms of resumption. ** May 30: President Janet Jagan called on the nation's women to play a leading role in creating conditions that would bring an end to the rift caused by the strike. ** June 3: The Government and the GPSU and the Federated Union of Government Employees (FUGE) that called the strike, agreed on the structure of the three-member arbitration tribunal to hear the dispute. ** Finance Minister, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo stressed that all concerned in the public sector wage dispute must look at the consequences of not taking Guyana's international commitments into consideration. ** Ministry of Education workers were blocked from entering their Brickdam, Georgetown offices when strikers padlocked the gates to the compounds. ** June 4: President Janet Jagan assured the Private Sector Commission (PSC) that the administration was committed to sitting down with the public sector unions in an effort to bring a speedy resolution to the five-week old strike. ** For the first time in weeks, patients and employees were allowed to enter and depart the Georgetown Hospital freely as striking public servants took their protests elsewhere over the last two days. ** Public sector strikers cordoned off the gates of the Supreme Court and invaded the Magistrates Courts in Georgetown, effectively shutting them down. ** Police said they were investigating an assault by public sector strikers on a Customs officer and a raid on the Customs Boat-house in Georgetown. ** June 5: The Government and public sector unions were looked in talks on ending the five-week old strike. ** As talks continued on resolving the public sector strike, the Government signalled it would be moving to stop lawlessness associated with strikers and protesters in Georgetown if it continues. ** June 6: Labour Minister, Dr. Henry Jeffrey announced that another four hours of talks between the Government and the two unions could pave the way for an end to the protracted strike in the public service. ** June 7: The lumber trade was reportedly in `deep freeze', with 50 per cent of sawmills having to shut down operations and those remaining likely to temporarily follow suit soon because of the public sector strike. ** Hopes for a settlement of the pay hike dispute between the Government and the public sector unions were set back when the GPSU adjourned a scheduled meeting. ** The Government team negotiating with the unions in the strike briefed a private sector delegation on the latest developments. ** June 8: Cabinet at its regular session decided to ask civil society to put together a mediation team between the Government and union negotiators in the strike. ** GPSU alleged that the current strike by Government workers has not yet received the support of a sizeable percentage of one ethnic group of its members. ** GTU President, Mr. Bertram Hamilton denied reports that teachers may resume strike action if current wages talks break down. ** June 9: Some 21 Supreme Court employees, who were off the job as a result of the strike called by the GPSU, returned to their posts. ** It was reported that moves were being made to put together a mediation team to bring the Government and the public sector unions to the bargaining table in a more meaningful way. ** The Guyana Council of Churches (GCC) said it was concerned over the wage hike impasse between the Government and the GPSU and FUGE and called for an early resolution. ** Officials of the Ministry of Education and the GTU announced they will meet on June 10 to continue negotiations for increased salaries for teachers. ** June 10: A live grenade was thrown at a Police unit but failed to explode during a demonstration by strikers outside the Finance Ministry in Georgetown, Police reported. ** Wages talks between the Ministry of Education and the GTU collapsed and the two sides said they will move to arbitration. ** Confusion broke out among ranks of the Police Tactical Services Unit (TSU) when a woman protester started peeling off her clothes to avoid arrest. ** Quiet continued to prevail outside the Georgetown Hospital and personnel were being allowed into the institution. ** June 11: Minister of Tourism and Industry, Mr. Michael Shree Chan said the Government was still making a genuine effort to address the question of wages and salaries for public servants, but the unions do not seem serious about an early resolution to the now seven-week old strike. ** June 12: Acting TUC General Secretary, Mr. Lincoln Lewis who denied a Police statement that a live grenade was tossed at riot Police from among striking public servants, is to review his position. ** President Janet Jagan pledged to honour "any just award" from an arbitration tribunal to look into the current public sector pay dispute with her Government. ** June 14: It was reported that the quadripartite mediation team in the pay hike dispute between the Government and the public sector unions were reportedly meeting the night of June 13 with the unions. ** June 15: The team mediating in the pay hike dispute between the Government and GPSU and FUGE was scheduled to meet the Government. ** The Education Ministry and GTU subscribed to the terms of resumption for the arbitration panel, which will adjudicate in the wage dispute in the two sides. ** GPSU, which blocked shipments of goods, including vital spares for major firms, as part of its ongoing pay strike, allowed the Omai gold mining company to offload eight containers from a ship at the firm's Linden wharf. ** June 16: The United Force (TUF) called on the Government and GPSU to put the country's well-being first and settle their dispute over pay soon. ** GPSU President, Mr. Patrick Yarde disowned street gangs causing mayhem in the city, declaring that they are not members of the union. ** June 17: As the GPSU strike entered its seventh week, the operations of one seafood manufacturer have grounded to a standstill, and workers were sent home. ** The mediation team urged the parties and the security forces, to exercise restraint over the next few days. ** Commercial Georgetown wore a grey look but the city was calm with show windows barricaded and store entrances and markets partially open, as fearful business people operated cautiously in the wake of raids the day before by roving gangs. ** June 18: Non-member elements appeared to have clearly infiltrated striking public servants, trying to turn them against the Guyana Public Service Union, President Mr. Patrick Yarde and other executives. ** The main opposition People's National Congress (PNC) claimed the Government planed to declare a state of emergency in two days if the wages impasse with the GPSU and FUGE was not settled. ** The Government and GTU reached agreement on the terms of reference for the arbitration panel, moving a step closer to settling the wages dispute in the learning sector. ** Foreign Minister, Mr. Clement Rohee assured members of the diplomatic community and international organisations resident here that the Government was looking out for their safety in much the same way it was doing for its citizens. ** June 19: Steps appeared to be under way for tough response actions from the authorities to ease the strike stranglehold on the business sector and industry as mediation efforts continued to settle the wage dispute. ** June 20: Talks to end the bitter dispute between the Government and the public sector unions for increased wages reported positive results. ** Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Indra Chandarpal appealed to women to desist from lawless behaviour during the current industrial action. ** June 21: Leaders of the GPSU were reported as failing the night of June 20 to sell to members, a preliminary terms of resumption agreement reached with the Government and the mediation team two days ago. ** June 22: Strike-crippled manufacturers, importers and exporters were reportedly sending home employees and calling on the Government and the trade unions to bring a speedy end to the industrial action. ** June 22: A union leader said agreement was reached on ending the almost two-month strike but top brass of the GPSU were trying to sell the deal to a militant wing. ** June 23: The terms of resumption ending the almost two-month public sector strike was signed by all parties and workers are expected to report to work by June 29. ** Scores of striking public servants turned violent outside the GPSU base on Regent and New Garden Streets, trying to block union President, Mr. Patrick Yarde and his executives from leaving the building.
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