– after massive 2-day strike action

WORKERS in the sugar belt will be paid an Annual Production Incentive (API) of five days’ pay (equivalent to $389M), after the Guyana Agricultural & General Workers Union (GAWU) agreed to lower its demand from 6.8 days.
But GAWU President, Komal Chand, told the Chronicle this position was unanimously agreed on at a stakeholders meeting yesterday after a compromise had been reached with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
A three-person team from GuySuCo, led by Industrial Relations Head Jairam Pitam, met with some 50 individuals, including representatives from all sugar estates and GAWU officials, at the Union’s conference room in a four-hour meeting that addressed the challenges being faced by the sugar corporation, both in term of productivity and in terms of financial standing.
Chand said: “We had to take into consideration that the production was not what was targeted, so by the end of the meeting there had to be compromises on both sides.”
Workers had engaged in a massive countrywide strike action on Tuesday and Wednesday to make clear their stance in regard to payment of the API.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy told the Chronicle in a prior interview that the workers’ demonstration was understandable, given that the low production figures this year were not “their fault”, and considering the challenges posed by adverse weather, among other factors.
The GAWU president also acknowledged the weather factor as a major challenge to sugar production. He said the industry has recorded a production of just over 185,000 tonnes, and he is not optimistic that production for the second crop would exceed 190,000 tonnes.
“Grinding ends on December 20, but not all the estates will work until then, because of the weather conditions and the resulting conditions of the dams and so,” Chand said.
The API paid to workers is usually based on the sector’s yearly production. In addition, workers are expected to be given holiday with pay next week – both norms in the sector.

(By Vanessa Narine)