LBI sugar workers still on strike

Oct 18, 2009 News

Sugar workers at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) estate are still on strike action, as they continue to press their demand to obtain an acceptable target for sugar production for their estate to secure the weekly production incentive (WPI) for week-ending October 17, 2009.

General Secretary of GAWU: Seepaul Narine

However, General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, told Kaieteur News yesterday that this strike action by the workers will not affect the wages and salaries negotiation between GAWU and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo), which is slated to commence on Wednesday.

According to Narine, GuySuCo has indicated its intention to discuss the WPI with the workers if they resume work on Monday.

If there is full resumption by the workers, then the sugar company will be prepared to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

Narine explained that the sugar workers have been informed of GuySuCo’s position, but no indication has been given by the workers on whether or not they will return to work tomorrow.

Last Wednesday there was a total shut down of the entire sugar industry, after sugar workers from all the estates in the country resorted to strike action in retaliation for GuySuCo’s withdrawal from the wages and salaries negotiation they were having with GAWU.

GuySuCo had stated that its withdrawal from the negotiation, stemmed from the fact that the LBI sugar workers had commenced strike action during the course of the ‘talks.’

However, GAWU had stated that the workers strike action had nothing to do with the negotiations, but rather it had to do with the WPI.

Despite this, GuySuCo had stated that the sugar company refused to work under pressure and will only resume the talks if the workers ended their strike.

After the LBI workers went on strike, sugar workers from the other estates also decided to strike in solidarity with their colleagues.