50% severance payment not enough – GTUC

…advises Govt, GuySuCo to rethink strategy

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) said President David Granger’s commitment to paying affected sugar workers 50 per cent of their severance is “not good enough”, while noting that addressing the workers’ concern is not a priority of the Administration.

On Saturday, the GTUC said the fact that no budgetary allocation was made to cover the severance of the affected is indicative of no premium being placed on the concerns of the workers. As such, the GTUC sees this as a worrying sign and intensification of the Government’s attacks on workers’ rights, across the board.
In a strongly worded statement, the Union further stated the failure of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to begin paying severance packages to the redundant workers on their last payday speaks of the callous approach in treating the workers’ welfare.
The trade union representative body noted that severance payment is earned consistent with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, adding that when the professional relationship is severed between an employer and employee, industrial relations practice dictates that the employee hands over to the employer all properties of the employer. Likewise, the employer has corresponding responsibility to hand over forthwith all monies accrued and owing to the employee. The failure to do so speaks to breaking of a contractual relationship and were these workers in the Private Sector, the Labour Department would have demanded they be paid, and if not, the errant employer placed before the court.
Additionally, the GTUC notes Government must be mindful of claims of being conscious and caring about the affected workers since it would not be deemed credible and sincere. They added that severance should have been paid at time of termination, so these workers can move on with their lives.
The Union added that the number of workers being laid off requires a plan to cushion the socio-economic impact on them, and the institutions and communities that rely on their income. “Various pronouncements as to the number being affected or are being placed in alternative jobs, and in cases being transferred to State agencies is being questioned. A major reason for this is that the sugar unions seem unaware which continues to point to the problem of the absence of engagement and involvement by the workers’ representative in their welfare,” the statement added.

Protest
Some 4000 sugar workers from Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon were let go by December 29, 2017. Fearing that they would have suffered a similar fate as Wales, workers attached to Rose Hall staged a protest in Berbice on Tuesday, demanding that they paid their severance packages. This was one of several similar actions planned by workers and their Union against the decisions made regarding the sugar industry.
Following the protest, Government announced on Wednesday that it will pay 50 per cent of the severance benefits to dismissed sugar workers by the end of this month, a commitment that represented over $2 billion in severance payments.
About 850 workers protested the non-payment of millions of dollars, which are collectively owed to them for their years of service given to the GuySuCo.
Meanwhile, GAWU has registered its disappointment with the Government deferring the full payment of severance. According to the GAWU President, the decision breaches the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act.