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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MArch 10, 2019
Region 10 RDC provides strike relief for RUSAL workers THE Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 has stepped in to assist RUSAL workers who are on strike in Aroaima. According to a release, the matter was voted upon at the March statutory meeting, where all councillors unanimously posited that the workers should receive strike relief since most of those affected by RUSAL’s termination are from communities in Region 10. Donations of rice, sugar, flour, oil, milk, biscuits, peas
and other food-related materials are made available to the workers. Regional Chairman Renis Morian said the RUSAL situation is a sad one and the entire Region 10 feels for the affected workers. He, however, pledged, along with his RDC councillors, to stand firmly behind and weather the storm with them. “I will not allow under my watch, workers who are being taken advantage of and being blatantly disrespected, especially by a foreign com-
pany being allowed to go without our assistance. As the Regional Chairman of Region 10, it is my duty to lend whatever assistance that we can provide, as Linden is not only Region 10 and therefore Kwakwani also forms part of this region and together we will help,” he said, according to the release. Being very vocal at the meeting was Councillor Charles Sampson, who is also a veteran trade unionist. The release said that Sampson described the current set of
RUSAL managers as unfair and seem bent on dismissing anyone who attempts to challenge them with regards to wage and working conditions. He said it is clear that RUSAL has no respect for the labour laws of Guyana and government would have to make a determination as to how long they would allow RUSAL to continue disrespecting and breaking these labour laws. Over the next few days, the RDC will be monitoring
closely the situation. “What I would add is that we, the people of Region 10, have taken too much from RUSAL, as it is not the first time that they fired workers because they had strike, this occurred in 2007 as Councillor Charles Sampson had pointed out and they got away with it, but this time it’s a different story. What we would like government to do is allow us to deal with them because we have simple, straight forward strategies as no company, irrespective of how big or significant that company is, will be allowed any more to come into this region and feel that the peo-
ple of Region 10 can be taken advantage of as the RDC Region 10 will show them what we are capable of doing,” an evidently frustrated regional chairman said. Morian related that the RDC will continue to lend valuable assistance to the workers as they seek to have their issues addressed in an amicable manner. It is now close to one month RUSAL workers have been participating in strike action. They promise to do so until the company engages the entire union.
Five detained in CANU raid
FIVE persons, including a Venezuelan suspected of narcotics smuggling, were detained when Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) agents swooped down on a hotel and bar at the corners of Robb and Cummings Streets, Georgetown on Saturday. The agents removed a quantity of cannabis from the hotel during the search witnessed by the five men. After the discovery was made, the men were detained and escorted to an-
other location on the West Coast Demerara where one of the suspects resides. While searching that premises, the CANU agents discovered US$40,000 which they suspected might have been from the proceeds of narcotics operations. The Guyana chronicle was told that one of the men reportedly told the agents that he is a businessman and works as a boat operator, mostly in the interior.
The hotel and bar at the corners of Robb and Cummings Streets, Georgetown where the men were detained with narcotics
CANU has since confiscated the cash and
launched an investigation into the matter.
Teen loses teeth in alleged police brutality RASVILLE resident, Shamar Tanner, 19, is presently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital where he is likely to undergo surgery. The teen claimed on Friday, a group of policemen, while on patrol, ran him through several streets in downtown Georgetown and beat him about the body, including to the face with their firearms. According to the account of the young man, which was substantiated by vendors, the cops observed the man and pursued him and he tried to run away. However, he was cornered on Hick Street and the cops who were armed asked him a few questions before beating him with their firearm. The teen reportedly told his relatives that he was about to light a spiff (marijuana) when the cops on patrol appeared and caught him in the act. The young man reportedly tossed the item away and bolted but the police went after him. Speaking with his aunt at Meadow Bank, East Bank De-
merara on Saturday, the woman said that her nephew has lost approximately five teeth from the beating he received from the cops. He also suffered a fractured jaw and is being fed by straw. Today or Monday, the doctors will access the young man’s condition again and determine if he would require surgery to get back to normalcy. The police said while trying to catch the teen, someone threw a metal object in his di-
rection which struck him in the face causing him some serious injuries. However, the cops could not say if they managed to retrieve the ‘metal object’ they noticed that was thrown at the young man in the dark night. Efforts made to contact Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Commissioner of Police Leslie James and other top security officials on the matter proved futile.
The West Coast Demerara home where the US currency was found