Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:10 AM
Dec 12, 2015 News
– GAWU says GuySuCo “unconcerned and contemptuous”
The dispute over the Annual Production Incentive (API) between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) ended yesterday without a settlement being reached.
GAWU expressed concerns that GuySuCo seems to be unconcerned and contemptuous to the cause of the sugar workers.
It said that the state agency throughout the conciliatory proceedings under the Chief Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer, Charles Ogle, refused to budge from its position of 85,000 tonnes sugar for a day’s pay. It also took the opportunity to disclose that the production as at 06:00h yesterday, was 225,424 tonnes sugar.
GuySuCo noted that Albion Estate is slated to operate another week, Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates until week-ending December 26, 2015, and the other estates after this weekend would have concluded the harvest of their crops.
The State Corporation which claims that it cannot amend its offer on account of its financial situation is not being sincere, GAWU said.
The Union in seeking to resolve the dispute submitted that some API payments could be paid during the course of the First Crop next year. The Corporation will be receiving revenue from sugar sales during the period, GAWU said.
GAWU noted that GuySuCo paid no heed to this proposal. The corporation continued to be unconcerned and contemptuous to the cause of the sugar workers. The union said that GuySuCo’s offer which is about 2.6 days’ pay for the year’s production defies its contention that it lacks the ability to pay.
The Union felt that a settlement was possible with just about two additional days’ pay. GuySuCo reminded the meeting that the API strike lasting for six days, cost the Corporation millions of dollars which could have positively assisted in the resolution of the dispute.
The Chief Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer in concluding his intervention towards having a settlement on the dispute, informed the meeting that he would provide a brief to his Ministers of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence and Simona Broomes.
He said that they would then have the opportunity to advise on the way forward, including engaging the parties with respect to finding a settlement.
The Union observed that for nearly three decades this year will be the first time sugar workers would not have been able to obtain a wage increase and a compensatory and acceptable API payment.
Indeed, the workers would encounter a bleak and grim period during the end of year holidays including the commencement of the New Year, the union added.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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