says ‘nation must not permit this injustice to stand’
The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) yesterday condemned the murder charges instituted against three Transport and Harbours Department employees over the sinking of the MV Barima and called for their immediate withdrawal.
Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson have been charged with murder arising from the July 18 disaster.
In a statement, the GTUC described the charges as a “travesty of justice” and contended that the authorities appeared to be criminalising workers while fundamental questions about institutional failure, regulatory neglect, managerial responsibility and governmental accountability remained unanswered.
“The nation must not permit this injustice to stand,” the trade union body declared.
According to the GTUC, justice could not be achieved by prosecuting those it described as the most vulnerable while the persons responsible for creating, supervising and maintaining the wider system escaped scrutiny.
It noted that the government’s own public statements had acknowledged failures extending beyond the actions of any individual worker, including that the vessel was overloaded, was carrying cargo and that there were deficiencies in the inspection and oversight system.
Those admissions, the GTUC argued, required an examination of the entire chain of responsibility instead of a focus solely on the three employees.
The union body also referred to accounts from eyewitnesses alleging that the captain had expressed reluctance to sail because the ferry was reportedly operating on one engine but was nevertheless instructed to proceed.
The GTUC said those allegations required a thorough and independent investigation.
“If established, they point to workers operating within an unsafe system—not to workers acting with murderous intent,” it said.
The labour organisation maintained that the sinking should also be treated as an occupational safety and health catastrophe. It pointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Chapter 99:06, and said workplace safety was non-negotiable.
Every employee, it added, had a right to a safe workplace, while employers had both a legal and moral obligation to provide one. Where workers were required to carry out duties under conditions they reasonably believed to be unsafe to earn a living, the GTUC said, responsibility could not be placed solely upon them.
“Accidents do not simply happen—they are caused,” the statement said. “They result from hazards left unaddressed, maintenance neglected, inspections that fail, warnings ignored and systems that break down.”
The GTUC added that catastrophic loss of life was rarely the result of one person’s actions and was more often the consequence of several failures throughout a system.
It accused the state of attempting to place the burden of the national tragedy on the three workers rather than confronting those systemic failures.
The union body also pointed out that the accused men were survivors of one of the worst maritime disasters in Guyana’s history and had witnessed extensive suffering and loss.
It expressed concern that there had been no demonstrated commitment to providing them with comprehensive trauma care, including psychotherapy, psychosocial assistance and, where clinically necessary, medication.
“Any responsible employer would recognise that surviving such a catastrophe leaves lasting psychological wounds,” it said. “Instead of care and rehabilitation, these workers have been met with prosecution.”
The GTUC pledged its support for the three men and their bargaining representative, the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union.
It also repeated its call for a genuinely independent Commission of Inquiry, free of partisan political influence, to establish the complete sequence of events leading to the sinking.
According to the GTUC, the inquiry should determine responsibility at every level, including policy, regulation, inspection, maintenance, management and operational decision-making. It should also recommend measures to prevent a similar disaster.
“The bereaved families deserve the truth. Survivors deserve the truth. These workers deserve justice. The people of Guyana deserve accountability,” the statement said.
The trade union congress called upon citizens, workers, trade unions and organisations committed to justice and the rule of law to speak out against what it described as an injustice.
It warned that if workers could be made scapegoats for systemic failures, the safety and security of all workers would be threatened.
“Let this tragedy expose every failure, wherever it occurred. Let accountability reach every person who bears responsibility. Let justice follow the evidence—not convenience,” the GTUC added.
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