Factory workers attached to the Blairmont Sugar Estate returned to work yesterday while the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) honoured its promise to make a salary payout to them.
The strike started last Friday and continued on Monday of this week over payments as a section of the staff expressed concern and subsequently downed tools since they did not receive expected increases. The increases related to a job evaluation which was undertaken by the corporation.
A Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) official said the workers turned out to work yesterday and the factory was working with a full complement of staff.
The official said too that GuySuCo made the payments to those workers who had downed tools after they did not receive increases to their salaries as their colleagues last week. GuySuCo officials met with representatives of the workers and officials of GAWU on Thursday afternoon and it was decided that the strike will end.
GAWU President Komal Chand told Stabroek News on Tuesday that it was also agreed that grievances which may be brought to the attention of the union by the workers, will be addressed expeditiously by GuySuCo in the future.
The corporation reported this week that prior to the workers walking off the job last Friday, management advised the union representatives and workers in the factory compound that all outstanding payments will be made by yesterday and that the other issues are within the purview of discussion between the union and the corporation, in accordance with the grievance procedure. According to GAWU, the workers were becoming impatient since the corporation appeared to be foot-dragging on the issue.
GuySuCo said it had already lost $13M in revenue as a result of the strike.
