| Workers of Republic Bank (Guyana) believe that they are being short changed by not being afforded the representation of a Trade Union. They believe that this issue stems from deep within the hierarchical structure of the institute with local bank managers receiving orders from the Trinidad-based parent company reportedly refusing to have staff represented by a union.This, however, is not the case. According to Kenneth Joseph, National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial (NAACIE) General Secretary, the Trinidad-based Republic Bank Board is pro-union and has no issue with the company’s Guyanese firm becoming unionized.Joseph said that NAACIE had been approached by staff members of the bank some time back in relation to union representation and NAACIE was seeking to unionize the bank with some persons already filling out and submitting forms.He however noted, “It was Frederick Kissoon who had stymied the process.” Joseph said that Kissoon had intervened and after airing that he would not have recommended NAACIE as the trade union for the bank, staffers backed out.NAACIE, Joseph said, has a good relationship with the Republic Bank (Trinidad and Tobago). According to him, the parent company had indicated its willingness to have the Guyanese arm unionized since the bank itself is trade union friendly.Efforts, Joseph continued, were being made to have representatives from Trinidad visit Guyana to deal with the issue. These initiatives had all gone on pause, Joseph mentioned, following the decline of staff interest after Kissoon’s intervention.This is however contrary to what Republic Bank staffers are contending. Workers have for some time been crying out about their “none representation” and “low grade” benefits that they are subjected to. They have argued that Trinidadian, Barbadian and Grenadian Republic Bank workers benefit from a trade union which advocates for better working conditions, fringe benefits and salaries.Some staffers have noted that fear of victimization by management is a major factor hindering the fight to be unionized. Kaieteur News was told that staffers were told by management that engaging a union would have to be done on “personal time and off the bank’s property.” “The staff is totally intimidated by management to come forward,” one worker said.According to them, management had given them the go ahead to be unionized stating via letter that, “they are willing to respect and acknowledge our constitutional right to be unionized.” It was however mentioned that such meetings would not be held with the bank’s support.Workers argued that among the many benefits that bank staff enjoys, Guyana is significantly denied. Kaieteur News was told that Trinidadian workers enjoy the choice of retiring at age 50 once they have given at least 20 years’ service. They however noted that in Guyana workers can only consider retirement at age 60. While Trinidadian workers enjoy paternity leave, Guyanese workers do not.Overtime payments are vastly different from those of their Trinidad counterparts since that nation enjoys 43 hours’ work at time and half, three more hours is double pay and triple pay for any time more. It is not the same in Guyana. Guyanese, further have three days casual leave, while Trinidad enjoys five days.When Trinidadians can work five days for another person and receive that person’s salary, Guyanese workers need to work 28 consecutive days before they can have the salary of the person they have worked for. There is also no vacation plan for the staff. Apart from that the staff mentioned that while Trinidadians work a 36-hour week, Guyanese workers have to work a 40-hour job.This they said was silently reduced from 45 hours after reports to the Labour Ministry which had noted that the act was an infringement of the law. The workers said they were never compensated for the time they had already worked.The Trinidadian report, workers said, was handed over by the Trinidadian trade union representing workers there.One staff member who was employed with the bank for 13 years charged that unions in Guyana are not forceful enough. Noting the corrupt state of affairs, workers are of the view that no meaningful effort is being made to assist bank workers citing the few insignificant tries in the past.They said that approaching the necessary authorities prove to be fruitless since, for years the workers have highlighted their plight.The workers also believe that it is a conspiracy plotted out against them to have the bank’s work fulfilled at their expense. This publication was told that at a meeting addressed by the first managing director of the bank who is Trinidadian, an outright order was given for the Guyanese bank arm not to be unionized.The man reportedly said, “Don’t let Guyana have a union….they will work for whatever we give them and they will work hard too.”Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, told Kaieteur News that it was not against the law for the bank to refuse the staff a union. He said he had not received any complaints from bank employees but noted that with the right procedures they can work towards becoming unionized.Kaieteur News was unable to get a comment from bank management. Numerous calls to the institution were unanswered and when contact was eventually made, the call was abruptly cut off. |
