Guyana sugar company cannot meet demands of workers
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| Published on Saturday, August 16, 2008 |
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By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The Guyana Sugar Corporation, the manufacturer of sugar in Guyana, is not in a financial position to meet the pay demands of the sugar workers, which led to a stoppage of work on Wednesday.
The Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), the bargaining agent of the sugar workers, is demanding a 14 percent increase, but Guysuco Human Resource Director Jai Petam said that such an increase will bankrupt the corporation.
Petam told reporters that it is not a situation where the corporation is insensitive to workers' concerns, but that it is not in a position to meet the 14 percent demand by GAWU.
The corporation’s chairman, Ronald Alli, said that Guysuco was implementing a mechanisation strategy, which is in the process of reducing the work load of field workers. Alli added that the strenuous cut and load system was being done away with.
Wednesday’s strike brought a standstill to grinding operations at the LBI, Enmore, Rose Hall and Wales Estates. Approximately 90 percent of the field and factory workers at LBI, Enmore and Wales, and 85 percent of the field workers at Rose Hall went on strike over the current wage negotiations. It was asserted during Thursday's press briefing that Guysuco is currently incurring severe losses due to the industrial action and it issued a plea for a speedy resumption of work.
Alli said that the corporation is in a serious predicament over the impact of the EU-imposed price cut and the high costs associated with fuel, freight and fertilizers. It is also contractually obligated to supply its main European customer with 55,000 tonnes of sugar by 5 September, and failing to supply by this date would result in significant losses to the corporation.
The company said that the strike is taking place at a time when conditions are extremely conducive to harvesting and will result in 650 tonnes of sugar not being produced. Guysuco's main European customer is to be supplied with 55,000 tonnes of sugar by the next three weeks, failing which it would lose US$70 per tonne of sugar. | | | | Reads : 40 |
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