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Blairmont sugar workers back on the job

Mar 04, 2012 News

 

– GuySuCo to review benefits

The rollercoaster relationship between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Blairmont sugar workers has been temporarily resolved with management promising to review sugar workers’ benefits.
According to Paul Bhim, Head of GuySuCo, over the weekend about 60 percent of the sugar workers who downed tools on Friday were in the fields. He asserted that this attendance rate is normal during the weekends, as such, management do not believe that workers are on strike.
On Friday, management met with about 300 sugar workers, whose concerns primarily focused on financial benefits, particularly obstacle payments.
Bhim revealed that last year GuySuCo expended $93M in obstacle payments to sugar workers, a huge increase from $30M in 2010.
He said that GuySuCo cannot afford to expend such large amounts on obstacle payments. Attempts to cut back this payment were not received well by sugar workers, hence the strike.
To resolve this issue, management is pondering a suitable fee to compensate workers since there would always be either fixed or variable obstacles in the fields.
He explained that obstacle payment is extra money given to sugar workers whenever they encounter ‘obstacles’ such as sloped dams or vines.
Bhim emphasized that every day workers’ strike results in the loss of ‘opportunity time’. He hopes that weeks lost in strike in February would be regained. But he fears additional industrial actions since the cane is getting older.
Meanwhile, the Commission of Enquiry which was established to investigate the various grievances of the sugar workers and caused the initial strike action would commence its investigations from Monday. The body is expected to submit its findings in three weeks.
The Committee members are Dr. Dale Bisnauth as Chairman, Mohamed Akeel as Member and Deodat Sukhu, Industrial Relations Officer of GuySuCo, as Secretary.

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