GuySuCo makes one-off payment to workers

May 12, 2009 News

The 2.1 percent one-off payment to workers at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was paid with the Annual Production Incentive (API) still outstanding.
This API, which amounts to 3.79 days payment, is expected to be paid by September.
Last year, arbitration ruled that GuySuCo must pay $1.3B to its workers after the wages dispute between the company and its employees reached a peak.
It had also ruled that a further 2.1% one-off payment must be made to workers as a cost of living adjustment for 2008. However, given GuySuCo’s financial constraints, the company was given until last month to pay the living adjustment to workers.
This newspaper was told that the sugar company, which has had extreme financial difficulties, is currently negotiating with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) since it is yet to make full payments to workers.
The company had announced that while they will have to abide by the ruling of the tribunal, there would be serious complications, among them acquiring the money to pay the sum.
On the other hand, President of GAWU, Komal Chand, has publicly stated that the decision of the tribunal has fallen short of the expectations of the Union and the workers.
He stated that GuySuCo is ‘going to the pits’, adding that the future of the industry is ‘bleak’. Deputy Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr. Gobind Ganga, led the tribunal.
Other members of the team were Attorney-at-law Cecil Seepersaud and Major General (ret’d) Norman McLean.
Soured wage negotiations between the company and GAWU resulted in workers taking industrial action, which lasted for almost four weeks.
Both sides are bound by the decision of the arbitration panel.

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