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GAWU: Sugar to fall far below 250,000 tonnes mark this year
The sugar company has agreed to review a proposed wage hike following a meeting yesterday in which the workers’ main union demanded a rethink.
According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), it met yesterday for the ninth time this year to negotiate for a wage and salary increase with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Officials of the Corporation have agreed to consult with their superiors and a similar meeting is set for Thursday, GAWU said in a statement yesterday on the ongoing negotiations.
GAWU says that the sugar industry is likely to produce far below 250,000 tonnes this year.
It was just over a week ago that workers attached to several estates downed tools to press home demands for the increase.
GuySuCo has announced that it was prepared to make up to five per cent across the board increase once a 270,000-tonne cane target was met. The offer would decline to three per cent for a production of 260,000 to 269,000 tonnes and two per cent if the production levels fall to 250,000 tonnes.
GAWU contended that the proposal in effect meant no increases since GuySuCo yesterday announced that even the 250,000 tonnes mark will not be met.
“At today’s meeting… the Union demonstrated to the Corporation that it did not offer any increase in pay. The Union contended that the Corporation, at the end of the year, would produce far below 250,000 tonnes of sugar. Therefore, its so-called offer in actuality would result in no pay increase and not even a one-off award.”
The union was adamant that this year’s increase in pay proposed by the Corporation must be related to this year.
“The proposal by the Corporation (is) to link a five per cent increase in pay with a production of 270,000 tonnes – a production which might be achievable till February next year should workers continue to work beyond this year for this year’s production.
“Of course, if the rainy weather for the rest of November, December and January does not intervene.”
According to GAWU, it just cannot honour the “brand new proposal by the Corporation to determine a wage increase” since it has been made in November of the year and not in January.
“The Union, having demonstrated that the Corporation has placed no offer on the table, requested the Corporation to do so at last. The industrial relations personnel of the Corporation agreed at the conclusion of the meeting to return to their principals with a view to obtaining a real proposal and to meet the Union again on Thursday…”
GuySuCo is facing unprecedented struggles with low production over recent years and a slash in the price being paid by its largest customer in the European Union.
With a brand new Skeldon factory not operating in a satisfactory manner and Government announcing more oversight, GuySuCo recently asked the administration for a $2B bailout to help pay its suppliers and creditors.
To compound matters, the Corporation has announced that it is facing another unprecedented problem—low worker turnout. With canes in the field and not enough workers, the Corporation has said that it may now have to harvest these next year- canes that were projected to be cut this year.
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