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THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) yesterday received the report of the arbitration tribunal, chaired by Major General (Retired), Norman McLean. The arbitration tribunal was set up to inquire into the request for the review of the job evaluation agreement between GuySuCo and the Guyana General and Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU). It was also tasked with inquiring into the request for the review of the job evaluation agreement between the union and the corporation dated July, 2011, and to correct the anomalies, if any, that existed, based on the same review.
Further, it was mandated to inquire into the across-the-board offer of one percent increase for all categories of workers represented by NACCIE for 2012, and to make an award as the tribunal sees fit.
GuySuCo had reviewed 17 anomalies in eight categories, six of which it felt were not worthy of address but were nevertheless considered. It dealt extensively with 11 of the job categories, which included junior bookkeeper, junior sugar boiler, junior laboratory technicians, senior sugar boiler, senior lab technician, electrical workshop foreman and chemical workshop foreman, field supervisor, head lab technician, process house foreman, and plant maintenance supervisor.
The corporation, reviewing these job categories, volunteered the following increases: junior bookkeeper, junior sugar boiler, junior laboratory technicians- a total of 349 employees, an increase of 10 percent; senior sugar boiler and senior lab technician-32 employees, an increase of 8.4 percent; workshop foreman, head laboratory technician, process house foreman, and plant maintenance supervisor-11 employees, an increase 10-12 percent; and field supervisor-65 employees, varying increases, 5.1 to 10 percent.
In summary, those anomalies affected a total of 457 employees which will cost GuySuCo $2.74M.
“The arbitration award could be vindicated by this effort, but we wondered why such a move could not have been executed in the bilateral between management and the union, or later at conciliation to avoid arbitration…the arbitrators were truly distressed over the failure of the two parties to come to a compromise on these anomalous job categories, which could have been resolved,” McLean said.
With regard to the issue of an across-the-board offer after a one percent increase for all categories of workers represented by NAACIE for 2012, GuySuCo reported that it is paying 63 percent of its earnings in wages and salaries, which is considered unsustainable.
For this reason, government has had to subsidise the operations of GuySuCo to the tune of $4.5B in 2012, and it is doubtful that its performance could be enhanced or improved this year, taking into account the low production level.
Prior to the offer of a one percent increase, GuySuCo, in an earlier agreement, had awarded two percent for every year of service up to 10 years, and an across-the-board payment of five percent in 2011. This contributed to the overall increase in workers’ earnings to about 30-38 percent.
McLean said that the tribunal was not satisfied that all of the possible anomalies were captured in GuySuCo’s corrected presentation, and therefore awarded an additional one percent on all the NAACIE’s scales. This award must be paid no later than December 31, 2013. Further, there is no increase beyond the one percent across the board payment.
The tribunal recommends that there should be a compact between the corporation, management and the unions, GAWU, NAACIE, and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU). This is seen as critical, given the dire state of GuySuCo’s finances.
“We do not wish to advocate a freeze on pay…but if the industry is to survive, it must rise to the challenge of performance and survivability by being more cost-effective and efficient,” McLean said.
The tribunal also recommended a concerted team effort to thoroughly examine its industrial relations comprehensively to promote harmony in the work place, the conduct of an analysis of the issue to improve job satisfaction, recognition of the value of the sugar industry for its stakeholders, and to restrict the pressure to continue the escalation of wage hikes.
Meanwhile, Human Resources Director of GuySuCo, Jairam Petam, said that the corporation will abide by the decisions of the tribunal. He noted that the award of a one percent across-the-board increase that the corporation had made was based solely on its ability to afford such a payment; it was not an attempt to frustrate the union. (GINA)
Further, it was mandated to inquire into the across-the-board offer of one percent increase for all categories of workers represented by NACCIE for 2012, and to make an award as the tribunal sees fit.
GuySuCo had reviewed 17 anomalies in eight categories, six of which it felt were not worthy of address but were nevertheless considered. It dealt extensively with 11 of the job categories, which included junior bookkeeper, junior sugar boiler, junior laboratory technicians, senior sugar boiler, senior lab technician, electrical workshop foreman and chemical workshop foreman, field supervisor, head lab technician, process house foreman, and plant maintenance supervisor.
The corporation, reviewing these job categories, volunteered the following increases: junior bookkeeper, junior sugar boiler, junior laboratory technicians- a total of 349 employees, an increase of 10 percent; senior sugar boiler and senior lab technician-32 employees, an increase of 8.4 percent; workshop foreman, head laboratory technician, process house foreman, and plant maintenance supervisor-11 employees, an increase 10-12 percent; and field supervisor-65 employees, varying increases, 5.1 to 10 percent.
In summary, those anomalies affected a total of 457 employees which will cost GuySuCo $2.74M.
“The arbitration award could be vindicated by this effort, but we wondered why such a move could not have been executed in the bilateral between management and the union, or later at conciliation to avoid arbitration…the arbitrators were truly distressed over the failure of the two parties to come to a compromise on these anomalous job categories, which could have been resolved,” McLean said.
With regard to the issue of an across-the-board offer after a one percent increase for all categories of workers represented by NAACIE for 2012, GuySuCo reported that it is paying 63 percent of its earnings in wages and salaries, which is considered unsustainable.
For this reason, government has had to subsidise the operations of GuySuCo to the tune of $4.5B in 2012, and it is doubtful that its performance could be enhanced or improved this year, taking into account the low production level.
Prior to the offer of a one percent increase, GuySuCo, in an earlier agreement, had awarded two percent for every year of service up to 10 years, and an across-the-board payment of five percent in 2011. This contributed to the overall increase in workers’ earnings to about 30-38 percent.
McLean said that the tribunal was not satisfied that all of the possible anomalies were captured in GuySuCo’s corrected presentation, and therefore awarded an additional one percent on all the NAACIE’s scales. This award must be paid no later than December 31, 2013. Further, there is no increase beyond the one percent across the board payment.
The tribunal recommends that there should be a compact between the corporation, management and the unions, GAWU, NAACIE, and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU). This is seen as critical, given the dire state of GuySuCo’s finances.
“We do not wish to advocate a freeze on pay…but if the industry is to survive, it must rise to the challenge of performance and survivability by being more cost-effective and efficient,” McLean said.
The tribunal also recommended a concerted team effort to thoroughly examine its industrial relations comprehensively to promote harmony in the work place, the conduct of an analysis of the issue to improve job satisfaction, recognition of the value of the sugar industry for its stakeholders, and to restrict the pressure to continue the escalation of wage hikes.
Meanwhile, Human Resources Director of GuySuCo, Jairam Petam, said that the corporation will abide by the decisions of the tribunal. He noted that the award of a one percent across-the-board increase that the corporation had made was based solely on its ability to afford such a payment; it was not an attempt to frustrate the union. (GINA)
