Blairmont, Uitvlugt workers protest GuySuCo pay rise

Feb 20, 2020 News

Operations at Blairmont Estate yesterday came to a standstill after workers took protest action to express strongly their views about the pay rise offer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Workers at Blairmont, West Berbice yesterday.

“The workers, like the union, contend that any pay increase ought to be retroactive to January, last year. The workers pointed out that the discussions between the GAWU and GuySuCo originated from the union’s 2019 claims.”
According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), it is apposite to note that agreements arising out of discussions on non-wage matters, which also comprised the union’s claims, saw those improvements being implemented from 2019.

A worker from Uitvlugt Estate.

“It is, therefore, puzzling that the corporation with respect to pay increase is seeking to deviate from practice and precedent.”
At both Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates, workers took part in picketing exercises outside of the respective estates to reiterate their call that their pay increases be no less than 5 percent and that the pay improvements be retroactive to January 1, 2019.
The workers believe that the three-estate corporation, and those who give it guidance are seeking to exploit a situation knowing full well that they and their families require a rise-in-pay, the union said in a statement.
The workers have questioned why further discrimination is being meted out against them.
“They lamented that while they must seemingly swallow a pay rise from the beginning of this year; their colleagues in other sectors of the state received their pay rises from the beginning of last year.
“They added, too, that those workers received their retroactive payments tax free as well, while such treatment, so far it appears, has not been even considered for them.
“The workers contend that the corporation’s position will not really bring about much benefit for them recognising that majority of the weeks for the year, thus far, took place during the out-of-crop period where they hardly had any work.”

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