GuySuco significantly affected by industry wide strike

The Guyana Sugar Corporation this afternoon expressed its disappointment at the decision by workers represented by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) to engage in an industry-wide strike, today Monday October 18, 2010.
 
GuySuco says the union has indicated that the strike action is aimed at applying pressure on the Corporation into making an across the board wages and salaries increase for 2010.
 
GuySuCo is however contending that any offer for wages and salaries increase for this year must be contingent on the industry at least achieving the revised target of 264,000 tonnes of sugar.
 
It is also important to note that the week ending October 16th 2010 was the only week the Corporation achieved 9,800 tonnes of sugar and with ten weeks remaining for the 2nd crop, the industry will have to produce in excess of 10,000 tonnes weekly to achieve our 2010 target.
 
The Corporation this afternoon has informed GAWU that unless it is encouraged by increased workers turnout and productivity, it would not be in a position to make any reasonable offer for wages and salaries increases.
 
Currently the workers turnout figures and production are far below their targets.
 
If the industry has to achieve a minimum of 10,000 tonnes of sugar per week for the remainder of the crop, the factories will have to grind at least 135 hours per week.
 
If this situation continues, then it means that 330,000 tonnes of canes would not be crushed, resulting in 29,000 tonnes of sugar not being made.
 
The Corporation is willing to have the union audit their financial statements to verify that the financial position as put forward by the Corporation support its stance that it cannot meet the unions’ demands.
 
 
Today’s strike action which will have a knock on effect on production tomorrow and will result in the industry losing the opportunity to produce approximately 1,600 tonnes of sugar which may or may not be made up for later in the crop.