GAWU/GuySuCo reach agreement on API

MeetingGeorgetown: Sugar workers have been awarded 4.5 days’ pay for this year’s (2014) sugar production. As at (Tuesday) December 09, 2014, sugar production stood at 208,949tonnes across the industry.

The Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Charles Ogle provided conciliatory services to the Union and the Corporation after the parties reached an impasse at the end of two (2) sessions on November 26 and December 03, 2014. The CLO’s intervention on December 05 and 08, 2014 assisted the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) to make concessions which paved the way for the resolution of the workers’ API dispute.

Because of the deep financial crisis facing the industry, the workers would receive their incentive not later than February 27, 2015 rather than around the second week in January, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) assured the Union and workers that the Corporation would pay the 4 per cent in wages/salary retroactive payments from January 01, 2014 on December 19, 2014. The retroactive payment would be from January 01 to October 04, 2014 since the increase pay rates have been implemented from October 05, 2014