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A major US union which sided with bauxite workers of Rusal, has come under fire from Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, who yesterday said that that body was grossly misled.Nadir, in a statement, again denied that the Guyana Government is engaged in union busting or the denial of the rights of bauxite workers.The Minister said that he yesterday received a letter from the President of the the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Richard Trumpka, on the Rusal issue.AFL-CIO is a voluntary federation of 56 national and international labour unions. The AFL-CIO was created in 1955 by the merger of the AFL and the CIO. The AFL-CIO union movement represents 11.5 million members including three million members in Working America, its community affiliates.“AFL-CIO’s. Mr. Trumpka has blindly followed the one-sided arguments that have been advanced by Mr. Lincoln Lewis and the executive of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union, a principle of trade union solidarity.”“I again state most emphatically that, neither the Government of Guyana nor I, are engaged in any form of union busting or denial of the rights of workers.  This administration is proud of its long standing support of workers and in the passing of legislation to recognize workers rights to be represented by a union of their choice.”With respect to trade union leaders being fired and the denial of workers’ rights addressed in the letter, Minister Nadir stated that the AFL-CIO has been grossly misled since the record of the Ministry indicated otherwise.Nadir explained that there was a strike on May 24, 2009, that was called by the GB&GWU at Rusal’s Aroaima mine site.After the intervention of the Chief Labour Officer, the parties signed terms of resumption that dictated that the two parties, the Union and the company, meet to negotiate wages increase for the year 2009. The two parties did meet according to the agreement and the Labour Department monitored the implementation of this agreement.“The agreement was implemented to the satisfaction of both parties. To this end, the company had proposed three options for wage increase for 2009. The Union chose option one (1), which called for a 10 per cent wages increase and the retrenchment of 75 workers.There was a draft agreement that was forwarded to the Labour Department and there was a request by management to have this agreement signed on November 24, last year by the Union and management at the Ministry.”However, there was a strike sanctioned by the union on the 22nd November 2009 where the Union claimed to agree to only one part of the proposed draft agreement. The Ministry said that it intervened on November 24, 2009 to have resumption to which there were several meetings held.“On the 2nd December, 2009 management indicated by letter that there are of the opinion that the Union had breached the Collective Labour Agreement.The meeting on that date was to deal with the Terms of Resumption. Management stated at the meeting that they are no longer interested in the Terms of Resumption since workers are returning to work.”The next week management reported that the workers had returned to work and they are achieving all their targets.The Ministry claimed that it urged both parties to meet and discuss the issues at hand with a view to bring closure to the various issues.Following on the heels of this, more than 40 per cent of the union members in the bargaining unit, for which the union has recognition,wholesale jerseys, have written to the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board calling for the GB&GWU to be de-recognized as their union.This Board is independent and has representatives from employers and labour.“These workers’ right to disassociate is as sacred as their rights to associate. This process must be given due process. Thus the AFL-CIO is calling for us to deny these workers their rights.”Minister Nadir argued that “some of the people” Trumpka blindly recognizes are one who practices horrible industrial relations.According to the Minister, Lincoln Lewis, a union official who has taken up the fight with a number of bauxite workers, has no moral authority to condemn anyone as he has refused to pay workers of the Critchlow Labour College for services rendered.What is even more disgraceful is that the college has had money in their account, but the “all powerful supremo of the TUC and the CLC” decided who would be paid.“I have a very vivid recollection of the late Godwyn McPherson recounting how a padlock was placed on his office door, at the CLC, by Messers Lewis and Company. Not only was the goodly General locked out, but also he was not paid.A number of these individuals have complained to the Labour Department and Mr. Lewis and colleagues have not settled the just dues to these workers,” Minister Nadir said.It was after an arrest warrant was issued for him in November he showed up in court a few weeks ago to answer charges filed by the LOSH Department, on behalf of the Critchlow Labour College workers.“The LOSH department does recognize the GB&GWU as the recognized union for the bargaining unit. Mr. Trumpka wants us to prosecute the company for not coming to the table to negotiate.  “This argument can be extended to unions who refuse to come to the table when they are strikes.  I urge parties to talk.”Nadir stressed that the use of compulsory arbitration and prosecution, unless vitally necessary, must be invoked with a lot of deliberation.The current situation at Rusal between the union and the management does not so qualify. Another important factor is that the overwhelming majority of the staff is on the job.“I am therefore not going to be pressured by Mr. Trumpka or anyone to do anything prematurely.  I will uphold the rights of all workers those who want to associate and those who want to disassociate,” Nadir said.