Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) have entered a new Collective Labour Agreement and a financial package agreement.
The agreement states that employees across the board will be given a 7% increase in wages and salaries for the period April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012. This accord will be effective for an additional three years and revisable as of 2015.
Enshrined in the agreement is a new rate scale replacing acting Foreman and Lead Hand premiums with Level 1 Grade 2 and Level 1 Grade 3 worker respectively and the Provident Fund was increased to $40,000 or one week’s pay. Employees with one or less than five years of service will enjoy a 6% increase in their vacation allowance while those with five or more years of service will benefit from 6.5% and foremen will get 7%.
The agreement covered a number of other changes including increases in the Education Grant and the Out-of-Town Allowance and the number of days allotted for annual vacation leave from 14 to 21 working days.
At the signing ceremony which took place at the Watooka Club, Linden on Thursday, Chief Labour Officer Yoganand Persaud highlighted the 28 areas of development for the bauxite company and the workforce. He was loud in praise of the two entities who he said were involved in a very democratic process which was done in a very professional manner.
BMGGI Senior Personnel Officer Vance Reid said that the agreements were designed to benefit the company, its employees and other workers. He alluded to the high number of persons who went on sick leave as one of the factors that affected the overall production of the company. To this end, workers who are on the job every day would enjoy the benefits of a sick leave incentive. “And that is just one, there are many others…” said Reid.
BMGGI General Manager George Zhao, Senior Personnel Officer Reid, Personnel Officer Truedell Marks and NAACIE General Secretary Kenneth Joseph, Branch President Linnel Warden, Collette Allicock, Winston Winclas, Carl Culpepper and Wayne Halley signed the agreement. Persaud, Linden Interim Management Committee Chairman Orin Gordon and other officials witnessed the signing.
