The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has announced that 14 workers of the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee (SILWFC) will receive a 20 per cent salary increase.
For some time the 14 SILWFC workers had engaged GAWU to re-evaluate their jobs with a view to determining an overall salary increase.
In a press release issued yesterday, GAWU said the two groups met on Thursday at the SILWFC headquarters to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which encompasses the results of the evaluation and a salary increase for 2014, both accounting for an overall salary increase averaging 20% to each employee. GAWU and SILWFC also agreed to higher meal and shoe allowances and an enhanced end-of-year bonus to each employee.
The agreement was signed by First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, Jairam Petam, General Secretary Kenneth Joseph and Carvil Duncan representing SILWFC and Komal Chand, Aslim Singh, Amla Persaud and Mitra Devi Ali representing the union. It was countersigned by Deputy Chief Labour Officer Nadia Samuels.
SILWFC is a legal entity which provides sugar workers with interest-free house and house-repair loans within stipulated ceilings. It is also mandated to assist in the maintenance of proper internal roads and sanitation in communities where sugar workers reside.
