THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is just about 13,000 tonnes away from achieving its 2015 sugar target of 227,443 tonnes. This production could be easily achieved in less than two weeks if industrial action is put on hold.Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the corporation, Errol Hanoman, said the company could even go on to make another 6,000 tonnes which would take production to 233,361 tonnes for the year.

The last time GuySuCo achieved a second-crop target was in 2004, according to the CEO.

He told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that on Saturday some workers of the East Demerara estates (Enmore and LBI) went on strike over the Annual Production Incentive (API) offered by the corporation.

Hanoman said that talks on Friday with the Guyana Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU), regarding the API were left unfinished, after GAWU indicated that they wished to meet with their membership with regard to the API offer.

He said he was surprised that what took place after was that workers were encouraged to strike. GuySuCo is offering 2.7 days API which will be paid by March, 2016. However, this was rejected by GAWU.

According to Hanoman, a large number of workers did not want to strike.
He said the corporation is awaiting their return and is encouraging them to maximise their earnings and to take the crop off.

GuySuCo is confident it will reach its individual and overall targets, irrespective of the present industrial action by some workers. As of Monday, production stood at 133,146 tonnes for the second crop, while the year- to -date total stood at 214,290 tonnes.

Hanoman also pointed out that ‘strike action’ in the interim is really a breach of the law, since whenever there is an impasse, arbitration is the next step.

Thus far, strike action has not been widespread. The CEO pointed out that on Sunday, sugar workers from the Blairmont Estate, West Bank Berbice (WBB), stayed home while Skeldon workers went on strike Monday, but indicated they would have returned to work yesterday. Rosehall factory workers also downed tools on Monday.