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Union, GuySuCo to begin annual incentives talks tomorrow
-GAWU insists workers must get wage increase for 2015
The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco), and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) are set to start discussions tomorrow for workers’ Annual Production Incentive (API) for this year.
GAWU’s President, Komal Chand
Over the years, the issue has been a bone of contention.
According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GuySuco, Errol Hanoman, the Corporation always had in mind to meet and address the matter of workers’ API. He said that following the discussions, an API will be derived.
Workers last month downed tools, demanding a pay increase. But GuySuCo has been insisting that the API has nothing to do with an increase.
According to Hanoman, irrespective of targets set and reached, incentives were always given, even in cases of underachievement- although the ‘pay-off’ had to be commensurate with the production and profit of GuySuco.
GuySuCo is shy of its annual target of 227,443 tonnes by some 20,000 tonnes.
Hanoman detailed that the Second Crop Production up to today stands at 126,198 tonnes. The set target of 146, 300 tonnes, he thinks, will be achieved on time.
The CEO is optimistic that GuySuco will reach its overall 2015 target of 227,443 tonnes, in three weeks’ time, since currently the production figure is at 207,341.
The CEO said that everything is going reasonably well at the corporation. “Once you are meeting your target, and your markets are in place.”
He warned, however, that with the fluctuating prices for sugar on the international market, GuySuco has to keep an eye on this aspect. But GAWU is not too happy with the state-owned sugar company.
In a statement over the weekend, the union which says it has over 16,000 workers in the sugar industry,
GuySuCo’s CEO,
Errol Hanoman
said that GuySuCo’s claims that it was always willing to meet, is a feeble attempt to cast the union in a bad light.
GAWU insisted that it was not until Thursday last that it received an invitation to discuss Annual Production Incentive (API).
“This invitation came after GAWU asked GuySuCo to meet on the API issue especially since wages negotiations were held up.”
GAWU said that it has been urging the Corporation since March to engage in wages negotiations.
“It is already mid-November and all we are hearing is discussions on wages must await the government’s discussion on the report of the Commission of Inquiry (COI). There is the strong view, that a few persons believe that they are clever in not engaging GAWU on this matter. Indeed, it needs to be emphasized, that, as the year draws to a close, the sugar workers are the only segment of the public service workers excluded, so far, from a pay rise.”
GAWU reminded that for the past 26 years, sugar workers received increases in pay every year. “It is to be expected that they will actively demand that 2015 does not become a year of exception. GAWU believes that the sugar workers have behaved responsibly in the circumstances. For most of them, they do back-breaking work and toil in arduous conditions.”
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