The three unions representing sugar workers yesterday picketed GuySuCo’s head office at Ogle to press their demand for the corporation to begin salary negotiations.
However, at a meeting with a National Association of Agriculture, Commercial and Industrial (NAACIE) delegation yesterday, the corporation’s leadership appealed for patience, while noting that a “road map” to secure the future of the industry is being developed.
The heads of GAWU, NAACIE and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) all stood with placards outside of the gates of GuySuCo at Ogle. As the picketers held their placards denouncing GuySuCo’s and the stalling of wage negotiations, GuySuCo’s head of security came outside to assess the situation, while a guard was seen writing down the names of the persons in attendance. The placards had slogans reading “sugar workers are productive workers,” “Shame! Shame! To say sugar workers are highest paid,” and “COI is used as a scapegoat,” among others.
NAACIE’s General Secretary Kenneth Joseph said the exercise was to demonstrate to workers that while they have returned to work after the recent industry-wide strike, the unions’ leaders were standing with them and their demands for wage negotiations.
Joseph told reporters that yesterday NAACIE was invited by GuySuCo to a meeting chaired by the corporation’s CEO Errol Hanoman and which included Finance Director Paul Bhim, Chief Industrial Relations Officer Deodat Sukhu, among others, to inform the union of the “crisis GuySuCo is now claiming it finds itself in.”
He said what was alarming was “the last question I asked… when would they be prepared to negotiate and I was advised that I might know a bit better than them when the negotiations will start. So, it is correct for me to say that GuySuCo does not know when they will start any negotiations.”
He told reporters that during the meeting he repeatedly tried to get the word negotiations into the dialogue and was shut down.
Joseph said GuySuCo was standing firm in awaiting the results of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar sector before the commencement of collective bargaining. However, the union was unimpressed that it is being asked to wait on a report which the corporation has provided no information on.
He said the press has been the union’s only provider of information into the findings of the report. The picketers were of the consensus that the CoI was being used as a “scapegoat” for why wage talks were unable to commence.
“When our members go back to the estates, they will have discussions with everybody,” Joseph said when he was asked about the potential for another strike. He did not say whether any decision was taken as yet, but added that the three unions would “collaborate more closely” to make a final decision.
In a statement yesterday, GuySuCo said Hanoman appealed to NAACIE and its members for their patience as it awaits a basis to guide the negotiation process.
“He indicated that there will be negotiations with the Union but asked that they be patient as the road map to secure the future of the industry is being developed,” it said.
“He also cautioned the Union on the loss of goodwill developed over the past weeks prior to the GAWU strike and he explained that the opportunity still exists for their members to earn tax free incentives over the remaining six to seven weeks of the crop,” it added.
According to GuySuCo, Hanoman informed the union’s team of the losses suffered as a result of the three-day strike called by GAWU and he indicated that some estates are still feeling the effects of the staling of canes and the breaking of the production momentum that was generated over the past few weeks.
The meeting was further advised that, as a result of the strike, GuySuCo failed to produce approximately 6,000 tonnes of sugar that would have generated $450M in cash revenue and a permanent loss of some 450 tonnes sugar valued $38M as a result of deterioration of the canes.
Distasteful
Meanwhile, head of GAWU Komal Chand said recent remarks by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder that sugar worker were the highest paid as well as GuySuCo’s statements of a likely grim Christmas for workers have left a bitter taste in the mouths of sugar workers.
“What wasn’t put over so well was when GuySuCo said that workers would be having a grim Christmas. That is very distasteful, to say that you’re seeking to stand up for your rights to have your concerns addressed and to say you will have a grim Christmas. Does it mean that GuySuCo will retaliate in some other way to the workers seeking to have an increase? They need to clarify that but workers aren’t taking that too kindly and they are not taking it too kindly the point that was made that workers, sugar workers are the highest paid,” he stated.
Chand said all three of the unions had submitted their claims on wages and fringe benefits since the first quarter of the year. GAWU submitted theirs in March. He reiterated his union’s stance that the lack of collective bargaining was in contravention with the Trade Union Recognition Act. [In its statement yesterday, the corporation denied the accusation and noted there has been regular dialogue and correspondence between the parties over the period and in particular, in relation to the delayed negotiations.] The unions are prepared to show continued “solidary and unity among workers… if there is unity there is strength,” he asserted.
GLU’s General Secretary Carvil Duncan spoke about the need for workers to maintain strong labour unions, especially in such times. “The trade unions’ responsibility is to ensure that they satisfy the needs of the workers and in order to satisfy the needs of the workers, it is the workers’ obligation to pay to upkeep the trade union movement. I don’t think the trade union movement is looking for subsidy from the government, we are not looking for that because if you look for subsidy you are compromising a principle,” he said.
In a subsequent statement, GAWU said the unions and their members are becoming frustrated with the stance of GuySuCo after the recent meetings.
In addition to meeting with NAACIE yesterday, GuySuCo met with a GAWU delegation last Friday, when it also indicated that it could not commit to a date for the start of negotiations.
“The productive sugar workers of the Corporation must not be used as a football. In the interest of the industry, the workers, [and] the Corporation, the three (3) sugar unions call for the immediate engagement… with a view to bring a speedy resolution of the wage/salary hike for all sugar workers for year 2015,” GAWU said.
GAWU will convene a General Council on Saturday and Chand has warned that another strike is possible if negotiations fail to get off the ground.
GAWU represents field and factory workers, while NAACIE represents the supervisory and clerical staff, and GLU represents the workers at the Demerara Sugar Terminal.
