THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is accusing the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) of attempting to subvert the Collective Bargaining process in the sugar industry.

“The GAWU wishes to indicate that the Ministry of Social Protection has engaged the Corporation and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) in two (2) conciliatory proceedings on November 23 and 29, 2016 with respect to sugar workers’ claim for a wage/salary increase of eight (8) per cent this year (2016). A third conciliatory meeting was soon to be fixed by the Ministry to continue the conciliatory proceedings. To the Union’s surprise and, certainly, the workers dismay GuySuCo by letter of December 05, 2016 wrote inter alia:- “We also wish to bring to your attention that [the] Parliamentary debate on the 2017 National Budget will commence on Monday December 5, 2016, which will be addressing some aspects relating to the sugar industry. We therefore, humbly request that our current conciliation on wages/salaries and fringe benefits be put on hold during these engagements at the Parliament.”

However, the union said the current Parliamentary debate/discussion on the Budget Speech and the approval of the estimates cannot be used as a pretext to what, effectively, is an attempt to delay or avert the legitimate workers’ claim.

“Certainly this is a yet another effort by the Corporation to frustrate the ministry’s conciliatory service. The GAWU calls on the ministry not to be cowered and allow GuySuCo to succeed in pushing workers claims to the back burner, especially in light that the workers were denied wage increases in 2015,” the union asserted. It also called on the ministry to fix urgently another meeting without delay in order for the discussions to be concluded, and, indeed, for them to reserve their deserving pay award.