THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has officially informed the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) that there will be no increase in wages and salaries for sugar workers for the year 2015.

GuySuCo said in a statement yesterday that it met with the unions to discuss the claims submitted on increases for 2015 at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Estate, and that through its Finance Director Paul Bhim had laid out the details of the current financial status of the corporation — details that paint “a very grim picture of the realities for 2015.”

As such, the company says, Bhim made it clear there will be no increase in wages and salaries for 2015.

“The Corporation also informed the unions of the impact that the El Nino situation will have on the sugar production target for the first crop,” GuySuCo said.

“The projected figure is 80,270 tonnes for the first crop, and the variance is likely to be 12,500 tonnes,” it added.

Noting that the meeting between the two sides was cordial and was “conducted in a most professional manner,” GuySuCo said: “While the unions expressed some disappointment with the position taken by the company, a decision was arrived at for a subsequent meeting to discuss other benefits.”

Noting further that the Corporation has, in recent weeks, been informing employees about its current financial position and the relevant actions being undertaken on the road to recovery, GuySuCo said in closing: “We would therefore like to express our gratitude to our employees, who are our most valuable asset.

“In addition, the management wishes to express its appreciation to our employees for their patience, support, and hard work as the organization navigates a new path to its recovery”, the