The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) yesterday expressed elation at the government’s decision this week to increase sugar workers’ pay rise by three per cent and the union also called on the Private Sector to increase their employees’ pay this year in similar vein.
“It is most appreciative that all other workers in the Public Sector are to be awarded an eight (8) per cent rise in salary this year in tandem with sugar workers’ eight (8) per cent. GAWU expects that the Private Sector would increase their employees’ pay for this year by not less than a like percentage,” the union said in a press release yesterday.
GAWU noted that the new rate-of-pay which will be retroactive to January 01, 2011 “will assist the Corporation in being more competitive in the labour market as the industry endeavours to have a dependable workforce.”
According to GAWU, as sugar production climbs each week, workers are becoming entitled to a greater level of Annual Production Incentive (API), and at week-ending October 28, the year’s sugar production stood at 202,139 tonnes entitling workers already to 6.5 days’ pay.
Meanwhile, this is the third consecutive crop that the industry’s crucial cane harvesting and its land preparatory work have been severely disrupted by inclement weather.
The current unfavourable weather pattern for the past two weeks has severely restricted cane-harvesting, the release noted.
According to the latest weather forecast by the Hydrometeorological Department, “La Niña conditions have returned and are expected to gradually strengthen and continue into the early part of 2012. Therefore, Guyana should expect more days with rainfall above long term average in the coming months,” GAWU noted.
However, sugar workers are eager for a respite in the unfavourable weather to allow them to maximize production in order to obtain a handsome API compensation, the release added.
