GAWU renews calls for retroactive payment for sugar workers

…GuySuCo to consider new proposal

After a protest action that yielded little result, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and GuySuCo met on Friday to continue negotiations for sugar workers’ salary increases to be retroactive as of January 2019.

According to GAWU, this is the tenth time both parties are meeting to hammer out issues relating to retroactive salaries for the workers and as such, the Union has proposed
measures to come to a consensus.
“During the engagement, the Union suggested that the Corporation examine settling the retroactive payments to sugar workers through several instalments in 2020. We put forward that a reasonable timetable could be agreed to between the Union and the Corporation.”
GAWU is contending that its suggestion for retroactive salary for 2019 has not been taken seriously given the fact that the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) has been selling prime land.
In fact, on Thursday NICIL turned the sod for the sprawling Windsor Estate located at formerly Sugar Plantation Ogle at a budget of US$83 million, as such, GAWU noted that monies from these lands can assist with the payment for sugar workers.
“We also drew to the Corporation’s attention that its land was being sold by NICIL, at high costs, and representation should be furthered to obtain support to offset the payments to the workers. The GuySuCo team undertook to share our proposal with the management before meeting again sometime in the coming week,” GAWU outlined.
Moreover, the Union stated that the Corporation used the meeting to bash them for the protest action taken on Tuesday last outside of the Ministry of the Presidency.
“The Corporation also used the meeting to apparently criticise the workers’ protests on February 25, 2020. The workers of the Blairmont factory were particularly singled out and it appeared to us that the GuySuCo was seeking to determine when, and possibly if, workers could strike.
The Union further added that “we had to point out to GuySuCo that the workers, with the intent of safeguarding the Corporation’s assets, and out of an abundance of caution and concern, proceeded to properly bring operations of the Blairmont factory to a halt. Notwithstanding what we felt was a cogent explanation, the Corporation’s team, surprisingly, informed they could not accept the explanation.”
Moreover, “It appears to us that the Corporation would want a situation where the workers vacate their posts and allow the situation to go awry. This, of course, is not a position our Union and the workers could condone nor uphold. The workers’ right to take part in protest actions is upheld by the Constitution. We do not believe that the GuySuCo, more so as a State-owned organisation, should seek to constrict or constrain this important worker right or any right of the workers for that matter.” GAWU stated while noting that the Union will go to all lengths and breadths to ensure that their demands are met.
To this end, the Union underscored that the sugar workers just want to be treated like all other public servants who were able to benefit from a retroactive salary increase last year.
“We believed that the workers of Blairmont, like all workers, demonstrated a high degree of responsibility and only are seeking to be treated like their colleagues elsewhere in the State. They are not asking for special or unique treatment and the apparent decrying of their principled and justifiable actions is upsetting for us.”