THE executive and members of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) are upset over the Guyana Power and Light Inc.

(GPL), deliberate refusal to meet the union to negotiate proposals for improved salaries, wages and working conditions for the company’s senior and Junior Staff employees represented by NAACIE.
The press statement issued yesterday said that since May 16, 2012 the union dispatched to GPL its Memorandum of Demands outlining its proposals and claims to constitute a renewed Collective Labour Agreement covering the gamut of conditions affecting the GPL workers for which NAACIE is the sole bargaining agent. The proposals were to cover the period 1st January, 2012 to 31st December, 2012 and related to wages contractual salaries increase, overtime worked, stand-by time, a variety of allowances and premiums, first aid medical facilities, among the varied benefits and responsibilities that these GPL workers are affected by during their daily technical and risky hours of work.
The release added that after five months the Company entertained NAACIE to a brief meeting in early November during which it was agreed that more substantial discussions would ensue at another early session. No such meeting has been convened as the working year hurtles to its end. The Union and workers are now therefore disgusted by this obvious, deliberate discourtesy and insult to its workers and the union.
However, General Secretary of NAACIE Kenneth Joseph sees this shunning of the union as yet another example of a strategy by the GPL Chief Executive Officer and his well paid executives to delay any possible increase for NAACIE until year end, thereby precluding the hard working employees from any fringe benefits like bonuses which they deserve. “Even though this is not about Christmas per se” Joseph explained, “it reeks of insulting behaviour towards the workers bargaining agent as well as the usual contempt for the unionised employees who are not contractual favourites of the CEO and his team. Something has got to give if there is no courtesy urgently”.
The statement said that Joseph feels further that the GPL contempt is perhaps patterned after the technique whereby even the State seems to be ignoring the industrial relations democratic custom and practice of Collective Labour Agreements. But GPL workers belong to a corporate entity, somewhat distinct from the more governmental employees, though NAACIE views the contribution of every worker vital to national development for which they must be rewarded commensurately.
The ball and initiative are now in the Company’s court. NAACIE hopes that good sense will prevail in this season of goodwill when industrial peace should also prevail, it added.
Meanwhile, when contacted yesterday GPL’s management was out of town and could not be contacted.