Sugar workers on all estates, except Albion, returned to the fields and factories yesterday after a one-day strike to push for their annual production incentive resulted in the total shutdown of GuySuCo’s operations.
The Guyana Agricultu-ral and General Workers Union (GAWU) yesterday called for the corporation to grant the 6.80 days’ pay incentive being demanded for workers, ahead of a follow-up engagement today.
Sugar workers across the country staged the one-day strike after GuySuCo and GAWU representatives met on Tuesday, when the corporation asked the union to revise its demand in order for further talks. A statement released by GuySuCo said although a follow-up engagement was agreed for today, the union called the strike.
Head of GAWU Komal Chand told Stabroek News that the sugar workers were aggravated after they were told that the corporation was in no position to grant their incentive. “The union is dissatisfied because the workers are entitled to their awards because GuySuCo is under an agreement with the workers,” he said. “We are calling on them to change their position.”
“Sugar workers have a right to express their views. It doesn’t matter if production for the year is low or the industry is losing income, they have a right,” Chand said, noting that the corporation had procrastinated on setting a date for meeting with the union.
He explained that GAWU had written the board on November 18 to set a date for talks but received no response until December 10, when the annual production incentive was discussed. Chand also stated that the board’s procrastination ceased after the union had sent out a strong warning that the workers were restive and would resort to industrial action.
But a source at GuySuCo told Stabroek News that the board is not likely to grant the workers their annual bonus because they had failed to meet the agreed upon target of 218,000 tonnes of sugar for the year. So far the industry has managed to scrape up 185,000 tonnes of sugar.
“The director did say that we are unable to give them the bonus but that is because we haven’t reached the target so why would we pay them the bonus when we haven’t even touched the reduced target?” the source said. “Where are we going to find the money from?”
The source added that every factory has a weekly target that must be met but the target of late hasn’t been met, drowning the industry in losses. The source stated that over the years GuySuCo has been lenient with the workers and gave them the incentive even though they had not reach the annual target. “Last year the annual target was 236,000 tonnes of sugar but they made 218,000 tonnes but we still gave them a six days pay bonus,” the source said. “But now if you don’t make the target you can’t get the bonus.”
The statement from GuySuCo said that GAWU had submitted a claim for an annual production bonus of 6.80 days’ pay for a production of 201,000 tonnes sugar, or alternatively 29,500 tonnes per day pay.
GuySuCo further stated that at the meeting held on Tuesday, the board had asked GAWU to review its original request to help further conversations on the issue and General Secre-tary Seepaul Narine reportedly indicated that the union was “flexible” on its demand.”
The parties, the release said, had agreed that they would meet today at the GAWU office. “It was therefore not only most disappointing for the Union to call a strike when there was an agreement to meet and further negotiate its demand, but its action violated the core of the extant collective labour agreement,” the statement said.
GuySuCo said that the strike would only aggravate the corporation’s ability to meet its monetary obligations. “Despite low production, strikes and low turnouts, the Corporation in good faith continues to enhance wages. Just 4 weeks ago the Corporation and GAWU and NAACIE reached an agreement for an across-the-board increase of 4%, effective from January 1, 2013. The retroactive payments calculated to be $735M will be paid on December 20, 2013,” GuySuCo said.
The statement added that on Wednesday morning there were approximately 960 loaded punts with 5,300 tonnes canes waiting to be processed, which could yield 375 tonnes sugar. In addition, it said that there were 12, 500 tonnes of canes which were burnt in the fields waiting to be harvested and which could yield another 884 tonnes sugar.
The sugar industry has been hit with low production, and might likely experience its lowest production in years.
