WORKERS of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) are set to receive a salary increase of 10 per cent and other benefits, before the end of 2016.
This comes after staff of the technical departments of GPL’s offices across the power grid banded together and downed tools on Monday morning, protesting the 2% salary increase which the management of the power company had initially offered.
As such, according to General Secretary of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), Kenneth Joseph, negotiations on Tuesday led to the GPL rescinding their decision to grant a 2 per cent increase and instead making a better offer.
“GPL has decided to grant a 5 per cent increase across the board, as well as an automatic incremental increase of 3% which coincides with the employees’ years of service,” said the Union’s General Secretary. In addition, workers will be granted another increase of zero to ten per cent on performance incentives, which will be disbursed according to the level of work produced.
Acting GPL CEO Renford Homer had told a news conference on Monday following the protest by staff that negotiations were ongoing. He said NAACIE had rejected the proposal made by GPL earlier this year, and talks had broken down to a point where things had come to a standstill. Homer had said that the percentages can, before the end of 2016, be worked in favour of the affected employees, and they should be able to receive a retroactive payment.
A number of GPL employees protested outside the company’s Main Street, Georgetown offices on Monday, with some travelling from as far as Berbice to join their colleagues. The workers, who man the national power grid on a 24-hour basis, contended that the 2% increase offered is unreasonable and does not cater for increases in the cost of living. Thus they are calling on subject Minister David Patterson to intervene on their behalf.
An Area “A” Victoria employee who spoke to this publication on Main Street described the situation as “heart-rending”. He noted that the men work for 24 hours from Sunday to Sunday. “It’s unfair to us that we got to be working under these conditions thinking that the management have us at heart, but that is not the case”, another employee had said.
