Guyana labour minister orders compulsory arbitration in sugar wages deadlock
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| Published on Saturday, October 31, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- The Labour Minster, Manzoor Nadir on Thursday evening ordered the Guyana Sugar Corporation ( GuySuCo), one of the country's largest employers, and its workers union, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union ( GAWU) to move to arbitration. The two after several months of wages negotiation failed to come to an agreement
In a statement Thursday night, Nadir said he imposed this compulsory arbitration on the parties after conciliation proceedings were deadlocked.
Nadir in a letter to both said “conscious of the threat by the union to go on full- scale industrial action which can have serious consequences for the industry, the minister wishes to advise that he is satisfied that the continuance of the difference is likely to be gravely injurious to the national interest and has decided to impose compulsory arbitration by virtue of the powers conferred upon him by Section 4 (1c) of the Labour Act, Cap. 98: 01.”
He noted that members of the tribunal panel will be named shortly.
This action came after GuySuCo and GAWU met on Thursday and in a surprise move the sugar corporation withdrew its earlier offer of a three- percent and requested that the matter be taken top arbitration
GAWU had called for a 15- percent wage increase for its workers. This figure was subsequently reduced to 10 percent
In a press release issued on the situation, GAWU said t it was amazed at GuySuCo’s decision, since on previous occasions there were no such acts by the corporation.
The released added that the union is looking at a nation wide strike firm Friday as a reaction to the sugar company’s withdrawal
. “It was reported that the workers are incensed by the corporation’s move and already the factory workers at Rose Hall Estate have walked out, forcing the factory to cease operation.
“The union sought to end the conciliatory proceedings, before the chief Labour officer deemed the talks deadlocked, to reach settlement but the corporation remained obstinate.” Further, GAWU indicated that “members of the union’s delegation opined that the corporation’s three- percent position became unchangeable at this time since the number most likely is identifiable with the government’s position," to which Roger Luncheon, in a recent post Cabinet press briefing reportedly alluded.
Reacting to this statement by the union GuySuCo in a release said GAWU utterances on the corporation’s position out of context, adding that workers on Thursday again resorted to strike action in contravention of the collective bargaining agreement.
“We are extremely disturbed by GAWU efforts to distort the grim realities which confront the sugar industry”, the release said.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Roger Luncheon at a media briefing on Thursday called on the Union to get involved in the management of the sugar industry since a place on the board of directors was reserved for them since 1994.
“The union continues to decline effective participation in management.” Luncheon said. The union has to be involved and a place is reserved for them on the Board of Directors of GuySuCo. He added that the union is defending the sugar workers, but sugar is bigger than the workers, bigger than the union: “sugar is about Guyana.”
Luncheon said GAWU’s response to the proposals of the sugar company was one-sided and did not consider the many issues confronting the industry. | | | | Reads : 398 | | | |
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