The Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) is accusing the state-owned TV station Guyana Television and Broadcasting Company (GTV) of acting arbitrarily in terminating twelve workers.

Seven workers from GTV’s Linden office and five workers from its head office received letters of redundancy and termination yesterday, which GTV says is part of its plan for reorganisation.

Some of the workers will be terminated with effect from October 31 while others, including the chairperson of the union branch, were terminated with immediate effect.

But the union says it never agreed to the termination of long-serving workers and has instructed them to continue to report for work “until it is satisfied that the company follows due process and the employees are found incapable of filling proposed new positions.”

GTV General Manager Mohammed Sattaur responded by saying the union had been advised of the redundancies since May, when they were provided with a list of the positions that would be affected.

“That was over three months ago. The Union was aware of these changes...” he said in a press statement.

“We feel the union has acted in haste and we encourage them to return to the process of dialogue and follow the procedures for the resolution of disputes as called for in our agreement with them.”

CCWU General Secretary Grantley Culbard however said the union had received certain assurances, particularly with regard to long-serving staff, during the meetings with Sattaur and the company’s management.

He said the parties were to have had more discussions about the restructuring plan after the matter was taken to the Company’s Board of Directors.

Culbard said the union was not persuaded that in reorganising its operations the company gave any opportunity for the employees to be retrained if necessary, while with regard to the Chairman of the union branch he said such actions cut across internationally accepted labour conventions.

Culbard considered that this move was an attempt to get rid of all union members by recruiting persons at levels superior to organised workers, although GTV told the union it couldn’t negotiate salaries until it got approval from the Ministry of Finance.

“...How could this be done without having to wait on the Ministry of Finance?” he asked.