‘Blue’ Christmas for GPL workers

Dec 19, 2024 News

…as union, company fail to agree on salary hike

Kaieteur News- This could be a ‘blue’ Christmas for workers of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) due to a breakdown in wages and salary negotiations, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) has said.

In a statement on Wednesday, NAACIE, the workers’ union, said it submitted a proposal to GPL Inc. on June 28^th, 2024, for increases in wages and salary and other benefits and had their first meeting on September 27^th, 2024. “GPL inform the negotiation team that in terms of Across the Board increases they will have to wait for the pronouncement of the Stakeholder, and we continued to discuss the other benefits.”

NAACIE noted that on Tuesday December 10^th, 2024, President Irfaan Ali announced the agreement between the Government and the Public Service Union for an across-the-board increase of 10% for 2024 and 8% for 2025 with additional increases/movements in salary scales which will bring the total average increases on salary to 26% and increases in other benefits.

Workers of the Guyana Power and Light are at odds with the company over salary increases (News Source photo)

According to NAACIE, it has an agreement with GPL where increases in salary have three parts: (A) 3% Annual Automatic in Scale Increment that is to avoid de-bunching and paid in January every year and has conditions attached to qualify for this payment; (b) Annual Performance Incentive, which is a one-off payment and (c) Across the Board Increase.

At the NAACIE and GPL negotiation meeting held on December 13^th, 2024, at the GPL Sophia Training Building, GPL said that they are offering to the members of NAACIE a 7% All-inclusive Increase which will include the Annual Performance Incentive and the 3% Annual Automatic in Scale Increment which was paid in January 2024.

“The members were in total shock and rejected the offer by the company, stating that the 3% Annual Automatic Increment is an in-scale increase and not all employees in GPL have received it. The Annual Performance Incentive Increase is a one-off payment and does not add to your salary and that they are requesting the 10% Across the Board increase that was pronounced by the Stakeholder,” NAACIE said. According to NAACIE, GPL said that they cannot agree to that, and the meeting concluded.

“From Friday December 13, 2024, to December 18, 2024, there has been no official word from GPL and as such the executive and members of NAACIE have instructed the union to serve GPL a one-month ultimatum. All the employees of GPL are requesting is that GPL comply with the pronouncement that was made by the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,” the union’s statement concluded.

(‘Blue’ Christmas for GPL workers)

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Annual Automatic in Scale Increment, Commercial and Industrial Employees, National Association of Agricultural, pronouncement of the Stakeholder

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