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May 25, 2013 News
The Management of Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) has promised to honour its obligations to make retroactive payments to employees thus reflecting the rulings of the recently concluded arbitration tribunal.
Some employees represented by National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), who did not notice the retroactive payments along with their salaries this month, were fearful that the company would not comply with the ruling.
But, Bharat Dindyal, Chief Executive Officer of GPL, assured that the employees will receive their retroactive payment. In addition, adjustments will be made to the payroll software so that June month’s salaries would reflect the increases.
Chairman of the arbitration tribunal, Justice Prem Persaud, Dr. Gobind Ganga, Deputy Governor of Bank of Guyana and Grantley Culbard, former General Secretary of Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union, earlier this month presented a report to Labour Minister Dr. Nanda Gopaul, indicating that increases of six percent and 5.5 percent retroactive to January 2012, would be paid to employees in the categories from grade one to eight.
The arbitration resulted from disgruntled GPL staffers expressing dissatisfaction with the decision by the power company to offer a five percent increase across the board.
NAACIE, through strike action, wanted GPL to honour its 2001 collective bargaining agreement which called for negotiations for increase in salaries, outside of an automatic three percent increment on the salaries of workers annually and a performance-based incentive of between zero and 10 percent.
Staffers were assured that the retroactive payment would have been paid this month. However, when queries were made they were told that no instructions were issued to prepare the retroactive payments.
Dindyal said that he was out of the office for several days and promised to inquire, on Monday, about the position of the retroactive payment. Staff will be paid subsequently, he said.
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