Dear Editor,
I must denounce the anonymous letter dated 14th July 2021, “Rum delivery workers not happy with CCWU”. What we see displayed here is the Bad and the Ugly. As the General President of the Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union, I am not going to point a finger at anyone but lay facts on the table. This problem started with the National Minimum Wage Order 2013 made under section 8 of the Labour Act, Cap. 98:01. Section 4 of the Order states: “Where at the commencement of this Order a worker in receipt of a wage at a rate that is higher than that prescribed in this Order, the employer shall continue to pay to that worker wages at such higher rate and not to reduce the rate on account of this Order”.
For all Drivers and Sales Assistants who are commissioned, paid minimum basic was at $35,000 plus commission. The Management and three unions, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union entered a five-year multi-agreement in 2015 and it was agreed to move the scale from a basic minimum of $60,000 to $68,000 for the Sales Assistant, and the Drivers a basic minimum of $78,000 to $ 86,000 for the five years. The CCWU made representation for the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Rum Delivery Section. The Joint Negotiations were supposed to work for the better of all workers. However, the CCWU experienced some challenges in the 2020 agreement.
In the current negotiations, the CCWU made strong objections to a particular clause in the 2020 agreement which sought to exclude this category of employees from enjoying pay increases for the period. Taking the CCWU’s position into consideration, and in the interest of an agreement, the GAWU and GLU suggested that this category of employees should enjoy increases similar to the piece rated employees. The CCWU will consult their members. There can be no doubt that the straight piece or commission rate system can offer one of the most powerful incentives for increased effort. It has the advantage of being a very simple scheme; earnings can be readily computed when production is determined.
In some instances, attempts were made to fix the piece rate at what is considered a “fair” or “just” level for standard performance. The determination of such levels was usually based on the performance of one or more employees selected for the purpose. The DDL Company is willing to award an increase of 6% on the basic salary and commission using the piece rate for Drivers and Sales Assistants, for each year of the five years of the life of the agreement.
Sincerely,
Sherwood Clarke
General President
CCWU
