…as GAWU, GuySuCo ink agreement for field staff

THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for certain increases to the Field Foremen/Forewomen in the sugar industry.

The agreement followed a decision by the Corporation to restructure its agricultural department wherein the workers concerned were given additional responsibilities, GAWU said in a release.

In July last year, the Corporation took a decision to eliminate the posts of Field Chargehand and Field Supervisor and the responsibilities associated with those jobs be assigned to the Foremen/Forewomen and the Field Superintendent. GuySuCo contended that the changes would streamline operations and promote greater accountability. Arising from the new responsibilities to the foremen/forewomen – who are represented by the GAWU – a new job description was developed to take account of the new circumstances. The new job description was examined by the joint GAWU/GuySuCo Job Evaluation Committee in August 2018. That evaluation, which was conducted within the framework of the Hay Methodology, which the Corporation has been employing for some years now, recognized the need for the workers concerned to benefit from additional payments on account of their new responsibilities.

According to the union, for several months it has, through a number of correspondences, been seeking to have the Corporation implement the findings of the Job Evaluation Committee. Our many reminders eventually saw the Corporation engaging the Union last week. At that meeting, the GuySuCo proposed increasing the starting rate of foremen/forewomen by three (3) per cent to $102,484 monthly. GuySuCo, through its submission, proposed that those Field Charge hands, who were promoted to foremen/forewomen following the elimination of that job, be paid a three (3) per cent increase once their extant salaries were below the new minimum pay level. Those workers who were incumbent foremen/forewomen at the time of the changes will benefit from a four (4) per cent pay rise.

Having heard the Corporation, the Union engaged the workers concerned who agreed with the Corporation’s proposals. With the signing of the agreement, the workers will soon begin to benefit from the new rates-of-pay and will receive payments retroactive to July last year when the changes were made. The workers expressed their appreciation to the GAWU for its efforts to ensure that they were compensated for their new responsibilities.

According to the release, this is the first time since 2014 that the Union and the GuySuCo have approved an improvement in pay increases for sugar workers. “While heartened by this development, it did not escape our attention that for the thousands of sugar workers, their rates-of-pay have remained the same for the past five (5) years. The GAWU cannot help but be dismayed by this situation especially recognising the hard work and dedicated efforts of the sugar workers who have continued to make a positive contribution to the industry. In the meantime, we continue to encourage the company and the authorities to address this shameful situation.”