DDL workers get pay increases – GAWU

Through joint negotiations between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), and the Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU), an agreement has been reached with Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) as it relates to Union bargaining.
From the deal, workers will be benefitting from improved pay and other conditions of work. For several rounds of negotiations, the three Unions have been jointly engaging the company at the negotiating table and through those discussions, a number of multi-year agreements were reached.
The latest pact will see workers receiving pay rises between five and seven per cent, retroactive from January.
“Workers increases are based on their performance which is evaluated by the company. The agreement provides a mechanism whereby unsatisfied workers could approach the Union and for another evaluation to be conducted to determine their performance and thus rise-in-pay. Apart from pay hikes, the Unions and the company reached agreement on improved rates of meals allowance, overtime rates, premium rates and leave passage assistance,” GAWU said in a statement.
The Unions and the company commenced discussions earlier this year but these were thwarted by the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. While face-to-face engagements were hamstrung, the discussions continued which led to the agreement being reached.
According to the Unions, the workers are pleased with the agreement. GAWU, for its part, is also pleased that an agreement could be reached and is looking to future engagements with the company in regards to the next agreement.
“The GAWU, as a responsible union, continues to stand by and with its members in this difficult time. It continues to engage employers regarding their employees’ health and well-being at the workplace while ensuring adequate and appropriate protections are provided. We are hopeful in the coming weeks to engage other employers regarding improvements in conditions-of-work,” the release added.
Back in 2015, the three Unions successfully managed to increase the minimum wage being paid at the local conglomerate by 20 per cent.
Under that agreement, DDL had increased the salaries being given to the lowest band of employees by 20 per cent, taking it to a new minimum of $60,000 for that band.
The Collective Labour Agreement had provisions for gradual increases being given to workers over a five-year period, from 2015 to 2019. Additional fringe benefits were also negotiated under the agreement.
Last year, the beverage giant earned a whopping $22.403 billion in total revenues for 2019 and $3.484 billion in profits after taxation.
This was according to Chairman of the DDL Group, Komal Samaroo, who said that it represented an increase of $541 million in total revenue compared to $21.862 billion recorded in 2018. He added that it also shows a hike in taxed profits by $206 million or six per cent, against $3.278 million recorded in the previous year. (G12)