DTL lays off 35 staff …workers tie action to warning from gov’t
MORE than 35 workers attached to the Mabura Hill operations of the Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) were yesterday told “to stand down until further notice.”The workers are of the opinion that they are being victimised by the DTL management because of the stern warnings the company would have received from Minister Simona Broomes when she had responsibility for labour, but this contention is being denied.
One of the workers operating the detective machine at the sawmill. This machine is considered by the Department of Labour to be hazardous because of the heat it emits and the fact that there are no safety stations in place (file photo)
During an impromptu visit by Minister Simona Broomes and a team last December, DTL was found to be in breach of the labour laws and was sternly warned to “fix it or be shut down.”
After ushering in the new year with their families, the more than 35 workers attached to the sawmill reported for duty on January 4 with the hope of having a productive year, but one day thereafter, they were told to “stand down.”
Hazel Romain, who has been working with the logging company for the past eight years, told Guyana Chronicle that, without any “proper explanation”, the workers were told to stay home until further notice, although they would be paid 50% of their salaries.
“They told us that we have to wait ‘till Broomes tell we we could come back to work’,” Romain said. She alluded to a statement allegedly made by Sawmill Manager Mr. Su (only name given).
It was explained that, one week before the company closed off its operation for the festive season, on December 18, 2015, workers within the sawmill were told to stand down.
“To tell you the truth, since last year they told us to stand down, but we thought that this matter would have been resolved by now. But is victimizing them victimizing us, because, in the first place, they keep telling us that we call de Minister pun them,” Romain explained.
Romain, who will now receive approximately $10,000 per fortnight, is selling snacks to augment her income. “I have children and I need money, so I selling meh lil snacks on the road fuh help out,” she explained.
Corletta Romain said that she and her husband are now in a “tight position.” Both of them worked at the saw mill at Mabura Hill.
“They told us to stay home until further notice, but I don’t see dem doing any repairs. So I don’t know when we will be able to return to work. I have two kids going to school. I not working, my husband not working…it is real tight pun we!” the woman complained as she cried victimization.
Ron Marks echoed similar sentiments. “Tuesday I come to wuk and the boss man seh that the manager seh leh we stay home because we deh pun stand down.”, Now unable to care for his mother and sister, Marks added that DTL’s decision to shut down the saw mill is an attempt to “spite” the workers.
“They trying to spite us because we talk for our rights. They can’t be wrong and expect people to hide their faults! We have to speak for our rights!” Marks said.
But in an interview with Guyana Chronicle yesterday, DTL General Manager Martin Ting denied any attempt to victimize the workers. He said the closure of the saw mill is necessary to put corrective measures in place, as outlined by the Department of Labour.
In alluding to a December 14, 2015 letter sent by Assistant Chief Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer Lydia Greene subsequent to the visit, Ting pointed out that the Labour Department had deemed the saw mill hazardous. According to the letter, “the structural condition of the saw mill was very hazardous.”
It was also pointed out that some of the machines in the factory posed health risk to workers due to the heat emitting from them when put in to operation.
“Management must desist from forcing workers to operate defective machines, and also to place themselves in precarious situation, which may give rise to workers’ health and wellbeing being compromised,” another section of the letter, seen by this newspaper, stated.
“We had to put that one down if it was a health risk,” Ting said, as he referred to sections of the band saw mill which were found to be defective by the Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) workers.
“I had to comply…we are trying to comply,” the General Manager emphasized.
Asked whether it was necessary to send home the workers temporarily, Ting responded in the affirmative. “If the machine cannot work, what should I do with the workers?”
DTL Sales Manager Robert Perry further explained that the detective machine within the sawmill is the primary one, and the other machines are dependent on it. Hence, if it is out of operation, the entire saw mill grinds to a halt. “That is the main machinery. Once that is stopped, all the rest of machines, the added saws, have to stop; because that deals with the log itself…. So once that main machine is down, there is nothing we could do on the other machines,” Perry explained.
It was explained that the company has already spent Gy$3M to repair the defective machine, but to no avail. The company is now analyzing the possibility of putting an alternative system in place, but this, according to the DTL officials, will take months to be effected.
“There are two lines; there is Line 1 (the one with the current problem) and line two, which has been down for a while. So what we will do is set up a complete line on line 2, and then we will return to line 1,” Perry explained.
However, he emphasized that this process will take months. If this does not work, it is a possibility that the workers may be retrenched, he explained.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) General Secretary, Seepaul Narine, when contacted by this newspaper, said if the company is indeed rectifying the situation, then its decision to put the workers on ‘stand down’ is a reasonable one.
By Svetlana Marshall
