A number of sugar workers downed tools on Saturday last for three days in response to the corporation’s refusal of their union’s proposed Annual Production Incentive (API).
After meeting on Friday, the second time for the week, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) were unable to come to a consensus in relation to the API.
Head of the union Komal Chand told Stabroek News yesterday that the two parties were very far apart as it relates to what constitutes a day’s pay. He said the corporation is advocating that 85,000 tonnes of sugar should equal a day’s pay, while the union had proposed 32,500 tonnes. The union has since proposed a day’s pay be set at 37,125 tonnes, which Chand said has been the average since 2011.
Given the 2015 production target of 227,443 tonnes of sugar GuySuCo is advocating for 2.6 days’ pay while the union is requesting 6 days.
Chand said GuySuCo’s counter that “this is very high,” was “ridiculous” noting that the corporation met the union on Friday after stating its positon on Wednesday, but offered no room for negotiation.
In 2014, API was settled at 4.5 days’ pay, which was worth roughly 48,000 tonnes of sugar per day. In 2013, the union and the corporation agreed to 5 days’ pay which was just over 37,000 tonnes of sugar per day. The total pay-out in 2013 for API was $375 million.
In addition, GuySuCo has quietly reduced the 2015 production target from the 241,503 tonnes mark to 227,443 tonnes.
Chand said GuySuCo also told the union that not only was it rejecting the proposal, but that the corporation would not be paying API until March next year. The union head said that on hearing this, workers downed their tools.
He stated that this action was initiated at the workers’ level. The only estates that did not see strike action were Albion and Wales, however the latter has finished grinding for the second crop. Chand revealed that factory workers at Uitvlugt participated in the strike action, even though the factory is not grinding and only maintenance work is being done.
Chand said workers at Enmore participated in the industrial action over all three days commencing on Saturday and ending yesterday.
Last week, Chand and General Secretary of the union Seepaul Narine both told Stabroek News that they were respecting the corporation’s request to not ventilate the ongoing negotiations in the media.
Narine had stated that the corporation was very concerned that the union was “bargaining” through the press.
“They are taking advantage now man. Forcing we hand,” one sugar worker told Stabroek News. He said once the gangs were made to understand from their union representatives what GuySuCo’s stance was after Friday’s API meeting, frustration among workers was “boiling over.”
He expressed anger that the corporation was praising the work being done and targets being exceeded, but showing a lack of appreciation for the workers.
GuySuCo’s stance as it relates to API does not bode well for future wage talks that are yet to commence as the corporation was adamant that no wage talks or collective bargaining would commence until the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the industry have been made public.
The union is currently asking for a 9% raise in wages. Chand had additionally said that while the findings of the Commis-sion of Inquiry into the industry are extremely relevant, the report should not be the reason for infringing the Trade Union Recogni-tion Act.
“We have expressed a lot of tolerance. This is the first time we have reached the month of November and we have not started talks,” Chand had previously told this publication. GAWU’s wage-increase proposal was submitted since March.
To date the CoI report remains with the Minister of Agriculture and members of the cabinet who are to discuss and then pronounce on the findings after a government retreat on November 28. The report was handed over to the ministry on October 20.
