THE concerns of disgruntled workers at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will be discussed, later this week, at a meeting of stakeholders out of which an amicable resolution is expected. Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Robert Persaud, who gave the indication yesterday, said the problems transitioning from NARI to the recently established NAREI.
He told a media briefing that, through restructuring the institution, greater efficiency in the crops and agricultural products industry is anticipated, supported by enhanced services in research, extension and crop protection.
Workers were to sign over to the new institute by May 1, when NAREI was established but their issues were put in the public domain by Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) and Presidential Candidate, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan. He alleged that they were being threatened to agree contracts or voluntarily resign their employment, making them ineligible for severance pay.
Persaud said that, since then, 90 per cent of the employees have put their signatures to new contracts and the operations of a modernised and restructured NAREI are  ongoing.
“No transition is easy,” he remarked, noting that 10 per cent of workforce has still not inked the fresh agreements.
The Guyana Chronicle has had reports of their dissatisfaction with the terms of their continued employment at NAREI.
Ramjattan said the problems originated from “a complete somersault” of the position taken by Persaud in the National Assembly, when he took the NAREI Bill to the House.
The AFC MP said: “The AFC views this as trickery and an outrage on NAREI’s part and a complete somersault of the position taken by Minister Persaud who made it quite clear, in Parliament when the NAREI Bill was being debated, that all employees of the old entity, NARI, would be entitled to severance benefits if they did not want to be employed with the NAREI.” 
In response to that allegation, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. George Jarvis said the Ministry has emphasised that the transitioning of staff will be executed under the laws of Guyana.
He continued: “What the staff is saying is this: ’When we come to a close, we want all our benefits calculated and paid to us. The administration of the ministry is fully in support of that and we’re working towards ensuring the staff will get whatever benefits they’re entitled to under the law. We have not pronounced that it is a closed deal and a done deal and you can only have one or the other.”
Jarvis said the Ministry is willing to work with the employees to ensure all misrepresentations are clarified.