Wages and salary negotiations between the management of the BOSAI Mineral Group (BGM) and the workers’ union, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), ended on Thursday after the parties agreed to a 7% increase, retroactive to April, 2021.
The agreement comes weeks after the parties signed a conciliation agreement to iron out workers refusal of 5.5% increase awarded by the company.
Branch Chairman Whit-ney Graham told Stabroek News that during discussions there was a deadlock between parties. This had resulted in them moving to arbitration. However, Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine intervened and they were able to arrive at a consensus.
He explained that while benefits and wages and salary increases is not what workers hoped for, they are willing to accept the offer.
Graham explained to Stabroek News that workers were asking for a 10% increase and additional benefits, including risk allowance for the night shift workers. The company was not willing to meet the request and during negotiations the union proposed an 8% increase but the company maintained that its financial standing did not allow for such a rate.
In the end, a proposal of 7% was made and accepted despite workers being hesitant. In regards to night shift benefits, workers were asking for an additional $100, per hour but agreed to $65 per hour by the end of the negotiations.
“We must say that we are appreciative of the Chief Labour Officer’s efforts. He was unbiased and professional in his role and we applaud that. We did not get what we wanted but we walked away with something from the table,” Graham said.
From the deal, employees will be receiving wages and salary increases along with other benefits for the periods April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, and April 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.
Graham noted that while it is a two year agreement, there are still matters to be discussed, such as transportation allowance and risk benefits. The next wages and salary negotiations will be held in 2023.
Workers began striking in October to protest the company’s proposal of a 5.5% wages and salary increase. Scores of workers left their posts, forcing BOSAI’s operations to come to a halt as they call-ed on management of the company to offer a much more lucrative package.
One employee had share the view that the proposed increase from management was “disrespectful” to workers as they have been working continually to produce.
“Last year when COVID was bad we had 6.5% increase, this year the situation is better and more ships are coming and they want to give us 5.5% increase. That is unfair to us. Cost of living raise and we have been working the hours they ask us to but they don’t want to consider a higher increase,” the worker stated.
At the time of a strike, Graham had said “They are saying the pandemic was bad for business but BOSAI didn’t close its doors. We, as workers, worked and produced. Ships came and ships went, taking away all we produced. So how can the company say they are not making a profit when we are seeing differently?”
He had added that even as management continued to claim that it could not afford the increases workers were asking for, it was currently engaged in expansions and development of pits. “What they are telling us is not consistent. How can they be doing all of this and still saying they don’t have the money to pay workers?” the union representative had argued.
