GuySuCo has made a new offer of 5½ days pay to the sugar workers for the payment of the Annual Production Incentive (API) for 2009.
Stabroek News understands that this offer was made yesterday when representatives of GuySuCo’s board and management team met with representatives from GAWU and NAACIE.
The 5½ API offer is an increase from the recent offer of 3½ days which was last made by the union. Previously, GuySuCo had made an offer of 4 days pay but subsequently reduced this. GAWU had been demanding an incentive of 8 days pay for 233,735 tonnes.
GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine told Stabroek News that the Corporation had made a new offer that the union was deliberating. Asked what this meant for the union’s attempt to move to arbitration, Narine said that with the new developments arbitration has been put on hold. Earlier this week, the union had written to the Corporation asking them to agree to voluntary arbitration in the API negotiations, after conciliatory talks ended in deadlock last week.