Government to take over key services at Kwakwani
Will fund voluntary severance for Bermine workers
Stabroek News
May 24, 2002
President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Sam Hinds yesterday assured a team of bauxite workers from Kwakwani that it would take over certain responsibilities in the community that are funded by Bermine as well as fund the voluntary severance from the industry of Bermine workers in accordance with the union agreement.
A joint statement issued after the meeting yesterday at the Office of the President said the meeting was held in a cordial and cooperative atmosphere which resulted in the following decisions being taken:
1. The Bermine Board will meet today to ratify a proposal from Viceroy Shipping to allow third party ships continued use of the mooring facilities in the Berbice River. (Union leaders had said that one of the key problems afflicting Bermine was the exclusive use of the mooring facilities which had been accorded to Viceroy. The government had denied this saying that falling output at Bermine was a key problem. The government also pointed out that the original agreement giving Viceroy exclusive use of the mooring facilities dated back to a 1990 decision by the then PNC government.)
2. Any employee of Bermine who wishes to voluntarily leave will receive payment calculated in accordance with the severance formula contained in the Union Agreement, with said costs being funded by the government.
3. That subject to the continuance of the Alcoa contract and the payment of the voluntary severance cost by the Government, Bermine will be able to achieve a break-even position this year.
4. Government will take over certain responsibilities at Kwakwani that are funded by Bermine. These include water supply, schools, hospitals and electricity.
5. Government expressed its willingness to receive and consider the management/ employee proposal to take over Bermine. Government is currently awaiting a response from the Bermine Employee Group on whether its earlier proposal is still on the table.
6. Workers at Kwakwani urged that a merger of ABC and Bermine be considered now. (This had originally been on the cards based on a proposal by Alcoa which was a 50% shareholder in ABC. Alcoa later pulled out after vociferous opposition to the proposal and the government now holds 100% of ABC.)
7. Workers of Kwakwani requested that the Linden/Kwakwani road be fixed. Government is committed to fixing it at the end of the rainy season.
8. The President committed to visiting both Everton and Kwakwani in the upcoming weeks.
In recent weeks the plight at Bermine's Kwakwani operations has been a cause of great concern to the community, bauxite leaders and other groups. There were several protests in the city over the matter and some workers mounted a vigil outside of Prime Minister Hinds' residence.