THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has written to Finance Minister Winston Jordan requesting that the $50,000 Christmas bonus awarded to public sector employees be awarded also to the sugar workers, who are also employees of a state-owned enterprise.GAWU’s written statement, seen yesterday, said: “After all, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Government must know that sugar workers have families, including children too. The GAWU awaits the Minister’s response.”

Further, GAWU disclosed that sugar workers were not surrendering their rights to a wage increase and an Annual Production Incentive (API) award, thus they were engaging in picketing exercises outside GuySuCo’s administrative and pay offices across the industry.

Picketing exercises took place at Wales, Enmore, Albion and Blairmont estates on Monday; at Rose Hall and Uitvlugt estates on Wednesday; and at Blairmont Estate yesterday.

GuySuCo recently declared that its 2015 production target has been surpassed by over 300 tonnes, and three estates are still grinding.
Those estates are Albion and Rose Hall in Berbice, and Enmore on the East Coast. They are expected to continue operating until December 21.

According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the second-crop target was set at 146,300 tonnes, but 146,583 tonnes were produced as at Monday last. This year’s annual production target was set at 227,443 tonnes, but 227,727 tonnes have, to date, been produced.

It’s a feat Chief Executive Officer Mr. Errol Hanoman attributes to the dedication and hard work of both workforce and management. “The team of management and workers (has) done a superb job, and I’m extremely pleased,” GINA quoted Hanoman on Monday as saying.

He is hoping that this sort of record-breaking performance has heralded the beginning of the “improving trend of the corporation”, but was quick to point out “it can only be maintained if the union, the workers and management work together.”

GuySuCo has faced two recent strike actions, one in October and the other in November, over the award of the Annual Production Incentive (API). The company has offered 2.7 days’ API, to be paid by March 2016. This has been rejected by GAWU, which has resorted to strike action. After the union called off the strike, talks resumed but ended in deadlock, hence the move to conciliation.