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Sugar workers in Guyana back on the job

Published on Thursday, September 4, 2008 Email To Friend    Print Version

By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com  

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Most of the 15,000 sugar workers who went on strike more than a week ago are now back on the job.

They had stopped work following the refusal by the Guyana Sugar Corporation to pay them a substantial increase in wages in the light of the high cost of living.

The government only offered about a quarter of the increase the workers are demanding.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Komal Chand, the Head of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the bargaining agent of the sugar workers, said the workers are back after an arbitrator started to review the case.

The strike forced the closure of all eight sugar estates owned by Guysuco, a government owned corporation.

The strike cost the country millions of dollars, and threatened the failure of the Corporation to meet its overseas markets.
 
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