The National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) yesterday reiterated that it would take industrial action if demands for higher salaries for its members at the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) are not met by February 24.
“Our union has been instructed to battle for reasonable increased wages for our members and for the respect for our agreement by the GPL,” NAACIE President Kenneth Joseph said at a press conference.
On January 25, the union had written to Labour Minister Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul. “Our members have been peeved but patient. This period of patience has eventually been exhausted. And I have been instructed …to inform you that we respectfully treat this letter to you as an ultimatum according to the Public Utility Undertaking Act…,” the letter had stated.
Joseph said GPL had offered workers a 1% across-the-board increase and they would not accept it. “The GPL strategy of offering meagre all-inclusive, across-the-board increases is to ignore our Collective Labour Agreement and to insult the labour and dedication of our members. We warn the corporation henceforth, that time has nearly run out for further delaying tactics,” Joseph said.
When contacted, GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal told Stabroek News, “I don’t know if Mr Joseph is aware of the process they have to go through; if he is totally ignorant of it or he is just making a fool of himself.”
He explained that GPL’s agreement with the union states that after unsuccessful bilateral talks they would move to the conciliatory process, which is where they are now. That is, the union writing to the Minister of Labour to intercede on its behalf. Dindyal informed that yesterday his company received a letter from the Minister of Labour and is now in the process of putting together a response.
Should the conciliatory process fail, Dindyal said, it is required that the two sides move to arbitration. He therefore questioned the threat of industrial action; a move he said he could not reason.
Yesterday Joseph stressed that the company needed to honour the agreement. “…We have served ultimatum for the company to show respect for the agreement… and to implement as discussed… We are prepared to continue the discussion at whatever stage of our agreement to come to a favourable position on salaries and fringes,” Joseph said.
He said the press conference was seen by NAACIE as another attempt to avert the crisis that can arise if industrial action was taken.
He said that the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), which also represents senior power company staffers, has pledged solidarity with NAACIE.
