The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) inked an agreement, which was countersigned by Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, paving the way for a four per cent wage/salary hike retroactive to January 01, 2013. The agreement followed five (5) engagements at the bilateral level and two (2) at the conciliatory level beginning on June 04, 2013. The agreement also provides for improvements in allowances and additional yearly issuance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to workers.
The union’s 40-member negotiation team comprising shop stewards across-the-industry unanimously approved the four (4) per cent rise-in-pay. The negotiating team, in approving the agreement, took into account the interim Audited Statement of the Corporation for 2012, and the Management Accounts as at August 31, 2013 which indicate that the Corporation is in dire financial straits.
The corporation is hoping that favourable weather would permit the industry to operate all its seven grinding estates until week-ending December 21, 2013 thus allowing the realisation of the revised target of 201,000 tonnes of sugar for the year (2013).
The union and the corporation are to engage in another set of discussions on Annual Production Incentive (API) for 2013. The sugar production for the year as at November 15, 2013 is approximately 165,000 tonnes sugar.