MINISTER of Labour Dr. Nanda K Gopaul said yesterday that employers who want their workers to work beyond eight hours per day are asking for slave labour and

slavery.
He stressed that, in May last, it was the first time in the history of Guyana that a national minimum wage and national working hours was set.

Dr. Nanda Gopaul

The local private sector organisation, the Private Sector Commission had also said recently that while it welcomed the new wages, given the implications for businesses, it wanted to request more time than the deadline of July 1 for its implementation.
In responding to the statements, Minister Gopaul said that a long time ago a prominent lawyer had made a pertinent observation that when businesses are doing extremely well on the backs of the workers they never complain.

The lawyer had told him, he said, that some businesses  never put aside anything for the people; for the workers and sometimes they hide their profits so as not to generate new activity in their plants. But the moment things become bad or prices for their commodities or services drop a little, they start to holler, they start to cry.
He said that some of the responses to the new minimum wages and the national working hours are a very good illustration of what the good lawyer had said.
With specific reference to the security industry, he said that security workers have been  exploited  by unscrupulous employers who harvest millions at their expense, for far too long.

HAD IT GOOD FOR FOUR YEARS
He said that these employers in the sector had enjoyed four years prior to 2012, free of any wages increases.
“For four years they had it good; no increases were announced. We announced an increase in 2012 and they started complaining, another increase in 2013 and now they are quarrelling again.”
“I want to say to them that they must respect the new minimum wages. No longer should our people be made to work twelve hours at flat pay. They must respect the hours because if you want people to work beyond eight hours per day without adequate recompense, you are asking for slave labour and slavery.”
The labour minister added that the government believes in Guyanese and believes in investing in Guyanese and they must be able to enjoy good wages and a healthy way of life.