The Guyana Agricultural and General Worker’s Union (GAWU) said yesterday that the sugar corporation made it no offer for this year, and it has pointed out that the two weeks pay is an annual entitlement.
GAWU issued a press statement in response to an article in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, “Sugar workers accept two weeks’ pay offer.” The union said that sugar workers, like employees in the private and public sectors, are entitled to two (2) weeks’ Holiday-with-Pay (HWP) each year. The union said also this is by contractual agreement between the Union and the corporation and is not a pay-off for the denial of the workers of a pay increase. It stated that workers remain distraught that there would be no wage increases and Annual Production Incentive (API) for 2010. “They have decided to continue their struggle for a pay increase and API entitlement next year,” the union added.
Further, GAWU said that the current weather has caused the reaping of canes to virtually cease and it noted that the sugar production this year would be the lowest since 1991, when the industry produced 156,690 tonnes. As at December 06, 2010, production stood at 209,846 tonnes. The union said too that GuySuCo was reminded at a meeting on Monday that five days’ pay as API was awarded to all qualified workers in 1990, when the Corporation produced 129,920 tonnes.
