-GAWU
Conciliatory talks between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) over Annual Production Incentive (API) award for sugar workers for 2009 were deadlocked on Monday.
According to a release from GAWU, talks between the two bodies remained deadlocked with GuySuco being unable to meet the demands of GAWU for sugar workers to be paid 8 days pay for the production of 233,735 tonnes of sugar last year. GuySuCo was sticking to its offer of 3 and 1/2 days pay, which was decreased from a four days pay offer.
GAWU stated that the “pessimistic picture” outlined by the Corporation during the course of arbitral proceedings last November was shattered as the corporation has confirmed it made a profit of G$480M last year, although Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud pronounced within sections of the media, the release stated, that GuySuCo broke even last year.
The release stated that the API, which was previously referred to as the Annual Production Bonus (APB), is a component of workers remuneration and stakeholders of the industry never failed to treat “this important element” of workers remuneration otherwise. The union stated that its demand is consistent with the days pay awarded over the past years since 1989 and particularly over the following four years:
-2005 – for 246,089 tonnes – 7.2 days pay
-2006 – for 259,548 tonnes – 10.47 days pay
-2007 – for 266,482 tonnes – 12.03 days pay
-2008 – for 226,267 tonnes – 8 days pay
The release stated that while the two bodies were engaged in conciliatory proceedings, GuySuCo wrote GAWU, by way of a letter dated January 14, 2010, “threatening it (the Union) and the workers in reference to the workers protest actions against the corporation’s refusal to be compromising in securing a settlement to the API dispute.”
The union noted that the “threatening and insulting language of the Corporation toward GAWU and the sugar workers” and the withdrawal of the 4 days pay offer “can never be the sole decision of the Corporation.”
The union called on sugar workers to recognise that in defending their rightful API award and other rights, among other matters, there will be opposition. It added that members of its negotiating team from the eight sugar estates across the country were distraught at the conclusion of the conciliation process but nevertheless remain committed to defending workers’ rights, interests and benefits.
GAWU stated that it will sensitise its thousands of members over the next few days, after which a meeting of the negotiating team will be affected to consider options which are available to pursue the present API struggle.
GAWU stated that the nation must also take note as sugar is still pivotal to the national economy, adding that disgruntled, dissatisfied sugar workers is not what is needed in the sugar industry the moment.
