Sugar strike ends

… worker’s dismissal amended to “suspension”

Following several days of strike action at the Skeldon Estate and several discussions over the dismissal of a field worker, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) on Wednesday agreed to call off the strike and amend the dismissal of the worker at the centre of the dispute to a suspension.

Mill Dock Operator Stephen Daniels was dismissed for allegedly assaulting the General Manager of Skeldon Estate, but this has been amended to a suspension following the conclusion of talks at the conciliation level. Wednesday’s agreement followed two days of conciliatory discussions between the two parties hosted by the Labour Ministry, which resulted in the Corporation and the Union agreeing to a six-item Terms of Resumption.

After holding firm to its decision of dismissing the Mill Dock Operator, GuySuCo eventually concurred to put him on suspension without pay, pending the conclusion of “either conciliation or arbitration” between the Corporation and the Union. The conciliation talks are also part of the Terms of Resumption, which cater for discussions to commence on the grievance which caused the strike. These talks are expected to commence on Friday, following the resumption of work.

The terms further included that the strike action by field and factory workers at the Skeldon Estate be called off immediately and that there be a full resumption of work.

Additionally, the Terms of Resumption called for no victimisation of any party and the days when the workers were on strike will be recorded as not available as opposed to absent.

Pleased

Speaking to this newspaper, GAWU President Komal Chand stated that he was pleased that the Union was able to get GuySuCo to comply with its main demand, that is, to reinstate Daniels.

On Monday, GAWU and GuySuCo’s Industrial Relations Department Director, Jairam Pitam, met to find a solution regarding the industrial action; however, GuySuCo refused to meet the conditions put forward by the Union; hence, stalling any chances of resolution. This forced the ministry to intervene on Tuesday, but the two parties could not come to an agreement; hence, the discussions had to continue the following day.

On Sunday, both factory and field workers from the Skeldon Estate took full strike action after the dismissal of Daniels, who reportedly verbally and physically abused a senior estate manager on Friday evening. However, workers at the factory claimed that the manager was intoxicated and had provoked the Mill Dock Operator who retaliated by hitting him. Daniels was subsequently issued with a dismissal letter the following day causing the strike action to commence.

GuySuCo had refuted the claims made by the worker and stood by the manager’s decision to dismiss Daniels. While the Skeldon factory was still operating during the strike by those workers who are not unionised, it could have lost in excess of Gy$255 million if field workers had stayed off the job for the next two days. Currently, 1130 punts of cane are waiting to be transported to the factory to be ground. At 12.45 ton per cane/ton per sugar (TCTS), it would produce in excess of 83,000 tonnes of sugar at Gy$5000 per tonne.