…5% salary increase to selected workers put on hold by Vice President
Foremen attached to the Blairmont Sugar Estate have returned to work after protesting last week over what they called discrimination in granting of a five per cent salary increase to selected foremen.
Foremen from Blairmont Sugar Estate meeting with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha
This came after the workers sought intervention by Government after they were issued “threats” of disciplinary actions for protesting.
The foremen took strike action on Thursday and by Friday evening some of them were given letters from management of the estate ‘threatening’ disciplinary action if they did not return to work.
This led to a meeting with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha.
The foremen claim that the Chief Executive Officer of the sugar corporation instructed that selected foremen be given a five per cent salary increase after they would have obtained 80 per cent passes on their employment confirmation required assessment at the Blairmont Estate.
According to them, the decision was “unfair”.
Alleged discrimination
One of the field foremen, Nazam Bacchus explained to this publication that their concern is the process used in giving the selected foremen an increase.
He referred to it as being discriminatory and unfair.
“Their salaries were increased five per cent more than the basic salary. Some of them only got confirmed recently and they are given an increase and we have foremen here who have been working on the estate for decades.”
He said they need answers on what they see as discrimination.
Meanwhile, Grace Johnson said she has 31 years of service, having started as a weeder and worked her way up to become a forewoman.
“If they are just here for a couple of months and get a 5 per cent increase then I should get a 40 per cent. It would not have been 31 easy years; it would have been 31 years of blood, sweat and tears. There are others who are longer than I am. I have to now train these people that got 5 per cent above me – I have to train them to do the work that I am being paid less to do, that is totally unfair.”
Disciplinary action
Following actions taken by the foremen on Thursday where they demonstrated outside of the estate manager’s office, letters were delivered to their homes on Thursday night by armed security.
In part, the letters said, “The strike action is deemed as holding the company under duress and is a breach of the Corporation’s Grievance Procedure.”
The letter also advised the foremen to resume duty on Friday, failing which would result in disciplinary action being implemented against them.
Bacchus said some of the foremen became afraid of losing their jobs following the issuance of the letter.
This led them to meet with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who was meeting with fisherfolk in the region along with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
During that interaction, a decision was taken to have the foremen return to work.
The Vice President also said that the five per cent salary increase awarded to the three foremen will be put on hold and the issue will be thoroughly addressed.
“After we would have met with the Minister of Agriculture and the Vice President, we were assured that this matter will be dealt with and there will be a visit to the Blairmont Estate by the Minister to further address this issue. We are satisfied so far,” Bacchus said after the engagement. (G4)
