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Agri workers protest over denial of wage adjustment payment
Workers protesting outside the NARI compound
Claims by the Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (UAAW), representing workers of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), that its members are entitled to the payment of an additional $4,000 (four thousand dollars) to public servants to facilitate a temporary cost of living adjustment, announced by President Jagdeo earlier in the year, have been debunked by the two agencies as being null and void.
President Jagdeo had made the decision in May of this year to bring relief to certain categories of workers.
NARI and GSA, in a joint statement, said that the claims of the workers were unsubstantiated, as a Public Service Ministry (PSM) circular to that effect clearly explained that: 1.Only persons who are employed in the traditional public service are eligible for the temporary cost of living adjustment.
2. The salary must not exceed G$50,000 per month after the 5 percent increase for 2008 is added on to the existing package.
“Consequently, semi-autonomous entities under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture do not qualify for this cost of living adjustment”.
The statement also added that the union was presented a copy of the circular.
Meanwhile, the Union of Allied and Agricultural Workers (UAAW), representing hundreds of workers attached to the GSA and NARI, has initiated protest action in response to the declaration of the two entities.
Yesterday, the union membership based at NARI and GSA held a picketing exercise outside of the compound of NARI, located at Mon Repos, ECD. The union is not on strike, so the workers picketed during their lunch break.
But the President of the union, Ms. Jean Smith, said this is the beginning of a process. “We want to highlight the problem and to make those in authority aware of our plight. The next stage will be contemplated on”. She added that the point of the matter was not of semi-autonomy but is based on the fact that the workers, a majority of whom do not earn fifty thousand dollars monthly, are finding it difficult to cope. She added that she wrote to the Finance Ministry, copied to President Jagdeo, on the matter, but to date has not even received an acknowledgement. The letter was sent more than a month ago.
Shop steward Charles Dennis, representing workers at GSA, said he is asking those who wrote the PSM circular to respect President Jagdeo’s decision and to treat all workers equally, as he claims the bonus payment was given ‘across the board’.
Dennis pointed out that President Jagdeo also asked the private sector to abide with the granting of the extra payment. “This shows that the President is aware of the need for certain categories of workers to earn extra money so as to offset the present high cost of living”, Dennis noted.
Apart from being Government workers, the shop steward said, the workers operate under public service rules.
Many of the female workers claim that they are single parents, and thus it is more difficult for them to make ends meet.
One worker exclaimed, “Dey ent gat no semi-autonomous shop, all ah we gat to buy pun the same shop at de same price”.
Sentiments were expressed by those on the picket line that, by virtue of being agricultural workers, making invaluable contributions to the sector, especially at this time when the campaign to ‘Grow More’ food is being much touted, such treatment should not be meted out to them.
Union officials reiterated that further action will be considered. (Bhoj Tharay)
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