Govt. to increase wages for sugar workers - Pres. Ali

Govt. to increase wages for sugar workers – Pres. Ali

Jan 31, 2024 News

President Irfaan Ali

Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali on Monday night announced that the Government of Guyana (GoG) will imminently meet with Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the workers of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to discuss improved wages.

It should be noted that an investment of some $6 billion is expected to be made this year to further stimulate the production capacity and operational efficiencies of the GuySuCo. During a live broadcast on his Facebook page, President Ali lamented that it was the previous government who ‘destroyed’ the sugar industry. Contrary to what the President said when the Coalition government took office, GuySuCo management had declared the corporation bankrupt. The head-of-state reiterated that thousands of sugar workers lost their livelihoods as a result of the APNU/AFC government shutting down the sugar estates.

President Ali highlighted that his administration is working actively to recreate jobs and improve the skill levels of workers. “One of the things we are examining is how we can optimize productivity by moving to a more contract form within the industry itself,” he noted. Ali said, “Very soon, we will be collaborating with the union and workers so we can find a mechanism through which we can improve and increase the wages of these workers, not only the more than 25,000 people lost their livelihood during that period (directly and indirectly).”

Last year, government reopened the Rose Hall Sugar Estate. Over 4,600 workers were rehired bringing the total employment to over 8,100 across the industry. “We are not saying that sugar is not a challenge this is a major challenge for us but we are committed to ensuring that we succeed,” he added. On December 20, 2023, GAWU had announced that it has reached a breakthrough culmination of negotiations with the GuySuCo which will see “substantial wage increases” for sugar workers.

A few days before that, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed in the National Assembly that the government had tapped into the Contingency Fund for $643 Million to pay wages and salaries for GuySuCo employees. Financial Paper No. 4, was laid in the House which caters for $1,899,647,334 Contingency Fund advances for the period October 1, to December 31, 2023. While responding to queries, Minister Mustapha detailed the breakdown of the allocation, specifying $383 million was taken out of the coffers for wages, $172 million for salaries, and $88 million for pensions within GuySuCo’s operational costs.

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GAWU, GUYSUCO, Irfaan Ali, sugar, wages

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