The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is accusing the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) of being mischievous and misleading the sugar workers, and by extension the nation, when it announced a 5 per cent increase in salaries.
Flashback: Sugar workers picketing the Ministry of the Presidency
The Union, in a press statement, said it noted reports of the announcement which was premised on misinformation. GuySuCo, in a statement, said it is debunking claims by GAWU that it had offered sugar workers a 1 per cent increase.
“The GAWU, being respectful to the discussions, had not divulged any detail regarding the Corporation’s proposal save and except to say that a proposal had been put forward and there were certain aspects which the Union found agreement with and others which we disagreed with. We, therefore, are at a loss how is it that GuySuCo would seek to communicate that our Union informed the public about a 1 per cent increase,” GAWU said in a statement.
In an effort to clarify the misconceptions, GAWU explained that GuySuCo has only offered a 5 per cent pay rise for workers engaged in piece-rated activities. For those engaged in time-rated work, it has proposed a $20 increase for those at the Band One level and $18 for those who are in Bands Two to Five.
The Union noted that those increases range between 4.1 to 7.84 per cent. Apart from that, GuySuCo has proposed a $4000 per month increase for monthly-paid employees, which is equivalent to a 3.9 per cent increase at the minimum level for foremen and 4.62 per cent for charge hands. GAWU explained that the Corporation wishes to implement the new increases from January 1, 2020.
“The GAWU, after consulting workers, has put to the Corporation that no worker receives less than a 5 per cent pay increase. Importantly, the Union and the workers have stressed that the increases be retroactive to January 01, 2019. Such stance is taken against the background that the Union and the Corporation discussions regarded the GAWU’s claims for 2019 and thus any increase ought to be implemented from the beginning of that year. It was at this point that the parties ended their discussions last Wednesday (February 12, 2019),” the statement related.
Additionally, GAWU said that GuySuCo’s finger-pointing is pointless and unhelpful, noting that it would have to reconsider its statements when it comes to engagements with the sugar corporation.
On February 7 this year, the incumbent Administration surprisingly offered an increase in wages to workers on the sugar belt – something which they have been calling for over the years.
It came just days after workers staged a picketing exercise outside the Ministry of the Presidency on Tuesday last, calling for pay hikes.
In an earlier statement, GAWU said the day after picketing, an invitation was extended for the Union to meet with GuySuCo officials and during the engagement, the proposal was made.
“…the sugar corporation informed that it approved certain pay increases to the sugar workers.”
This move comes on the heels of sugar workers being snubbed by the Government when it announced salary increases for the public sector in November last year.
On Tuesday last, sugar workers from Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion Estates gathered in front of the Ministry of the Presidency to continue their pleas for wage increases, which they are yet to benefit from since 2015 when the APNU/AFC coalition took office.
According to the Union, the workers were staunch in their demand for a deserving pay increase as they maintained that they were discriminated against.
During the campaign trail leading up to the 2015 elections, the APNU/AFC coalition promised sugar workers 20 per cent wage hikes together with a “good life”. But after securing the votes from the sugar belt to get into office, the coalition instead downsized the industry to just three sugar estates, shutting down the Wales, East Demerara (Enmore), Rose Hall and Skeldon factories which resulted in some 7000 sugar workers being placed on the breadline.
