Government yesterday offered $30M as a redundancy settlement to a group of Linden Mining Enterprise Ltd (Linmine) workers laid off in 1993.

The agreement, a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said, was reached when representatives of the group met with President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President. According to the release, the sum, which is the full amount due to the workers excluding interest, will be paid to the 200-odd workers who were laid off in 1993.

President of the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) Charles Sampson expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the discussions after the meeting.

GINA quoted Sampson as saying, “I think finally we have settled the issue of some payments that were due to some workers. We went to court sometime ago and only three persons were paid. I think today the president has decided that all the workers will be paid.”

He added “even though some of us may not be 100 percent satisfied with the outcome of the mode of severance, we must commend President Jagdeo for settling this issue because it is ten years old. We are leaving here today feeling happy with the outcome”.

Stabroek News during a visit to Linden on Tuesday had been informed about the impending meeting between the head of state and the workers to resolve the longstanding severance dispute.

Some of the workers who had been made redundant following the restructuring of the bauxite company had gone to court to recover sums owing to them as a result of the signing of a collective labour agreement. The signing of the agreement had led to a retroactive adjustment of benefits which were never paid. Three of those who went to court won judgment while the case for the others is still in court.

The group had in 2002 approached government to settle the dispute after Linmine failed to agree to terms. The matter was subsequently sent to Cabinet for consideration after discussions with the Privatisation Unit and its board.