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GPL given ultimatum over wages dispute
The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) is being advised to make the right moves to rectify the ongoing wages rows with the workers’ union, or face the consequences of staffers downing their tools.
National Agricultural and Industrial Employees Union (NAACIE) has threatened the power company that this is the last chance to honour the November 27, 2001 collective bargaining agreement, or workers will have to withdraw their services.
NACCIE General Secretary Kenneth Joseph
NAACIE is still asking for its 2012 eight percent across the board wage increase, while the power company is only prepared to pay one percent. The alternative to that, GPL has offered, is an all inclusive five percent increase, which NAACIE is not willing to accept.
NAACIE General Secretary, Kenneth Joseph said that after a letter was sent to the Minister of Labour, a meeting between the union and the power company was called last Friday.
At that meeting GPL requested a copy of the letter to the Ministry with an aim of addressing the union’s request.
NAACIE is now awaiting GPL’s reply, and another meeting will be held.
Joseph is making no promises to remain docile as he noted that workers’ rights must be respected. He told media operatives last week that “This is the last straw,” if GPL does not honour its agreement.
Joseph charged that the 2001 agreement which speaks about payments for the various categories of workers was carefully studied before its signing.
Joseph said the contract worked for a while until, “Guyanese management started to destroy our agreement.”
Union members, he said, were denied payments under the present agreement, and the relevant information that is needed to make decisive moves in relation to the workers is not being provided by GPL.
Joseph argued that GPL is “offering no proper information as to what is going on.” He confirmed that GPL did offer a one percent increase across the board which is being, “paid a year after the inflation rate is showing 4.5.”
“You are telling the worker,” Joseph stressed, “that what you earned last year, you will get less this year and they must accept that.”
While the power company is holding out on its one percent increase, NACCIE had stated that it too would be holding on to its eight percent increase and would be taking it to the Labour Ministry. The union is also asking the Minister to ensure that GPL respects the original agreement which the Labour Ministry itself had signed on to.
Joseph charged that the power company has over the years boasted about improvements and achievements, thus their inability to pay the workers proper wages is unacceptable.
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