The Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) will go to arbitration to settle their ongoing wage dispute, effectively ending the workers’ strike that stretched into its fourth day yesterday.
Stabroek News understands that both the company and the union received letters from Minister of Labour Dr Nanda Gopaul, informing them that he had in fact invoked arbitration and asking NAACIE to call off the strike.
The letter also identified Justice Prem Persaud, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Guyana Dr Gobind Ganga and former Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) Secretary General Grantley Culbard as the persons selected to serve as the members of the Arbitration Tribunal.
The decision comes in the wake of last Friday’s meeting between Gopaul and representatives from GPL and NAACIE. According to the minister, both parties were unwavering in their positions at the meeting and were ultimately given until yesterday to give favourable responses to him.
Gopaul had said that