Hellings accuses EBS management of interference in union elections

Hellings made the accusations during a press conference at the union building. The elections of the Ogem Werknemers Organisatie Suriname (OWOS) will be held on September 11. According to the chairman, 1,009 employees are eligible to vote, with voting taking place at various locations across the country.

The setting of the election date was preceded by several interim relief proceedings between the EBS management, the incumbent union board and the candidate board. Following a lengthy hearing, the parties involved agreed that the elections would go ahead on September 11. The election process is being supervised by lawyers Guno Castelen and Glen van der San, who are also members of the election committee.

Unequal treatment during campaign

According to Hellings, the EBS management is not treating the two candidate lists equally. He claims that Team Bondru has at least four company vehicles available to campaign nationwide. The candidate chairman of that team is also allegedly being granted access to EBS premises to present himself to employees.

Hellings states that he is not being granted that access. In addition, previously made agreements on the maintenance and repair of a union vehicle are allegedly not being honoured. During the press conference, he presented documents supporting his accusations. The EBS management and Team Bondru did not respond to the allegations in the submitted report.

Audio recordings not independently verified

The union chairman further says he has audio recordings that allegedly show that people within the EBS management welcome the departure of the current OWOS board. His position as chairman in particular is said to be under discussion. It was also allegedly suggested to third parties that a vote for Hellings could have adverse consequences. The origin and content of the recordings have not been independently established.

Hellings suspects that his critical attitude towards the employer plays a role in the tense relationship with the company management. According to him, the board has in fact been mandated by its members to act in a businesslike manner and to strongly advocate for their interests. “If the members no longer want that, they will let us know. But as far as I have observed: they do not,” Hellings said. He therefore expects that a majority of employees will again give the incumbent board a mandate.

New collective labour agreement and better working conditions

The elections are being held while negotiations are under way on a new collective labour agreement. If given a new mandate, the current board wants to focus on better wages, secondary employment benefits and working conditions. According to Hellings, staff employment conditions must be made more resilient to inflation and other economic problems.

Union action not ruled out

OWOS has reported the alleged interference to the Unie van Assertieve Vakbonden, to which the union is affiliated. According to Hellings, the trade union federation has now spoken out against interference in the elections. The EBS supervisory board and the Ministry of Labour have also been notified in writing. OWOS also wants to inform the Raad van Vakcentrales in Suriname and the international labour organisation.

Hellings does not rule out union action if the alleged interference continues. According to him, action may be taken to force management to stay out of the union’s internal affairs.