The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) Friday announced that it had reached an agreement with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), on a salary increase for sugar workers ending months of protest by workers.

GAWU said that through the agreement, piece-rated workers will be benefitting from a five per cent increase in their salaries while time-rated workers will receive an increase of GUY$20 (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) per hour.

Sugar workers (File Photo)

The union in a statement said that monthly-paid workers would receive an increase of GUY$4,100 per month and that apart from the salary increases, workers would benefit from increases in a number of allowances now enjoyed by workers.

GAWU said that it wants the payments to be retroactive to January 2019 and that while it remains ready to recommence discussions on the lone outstanding issue of retroactivity, it recognises that workers were affected by no increases to their salaries for five years.

The union said it has been informed by GUYSUCO that it cannot deal with the retroactive issue at this time because of the company's current financial situation, but that it remains hopeful that the Corporation will soon be able to provide the outstanding payments to its workers.

GUYSUCO has not commented publicly on the union's statement that it also wants the outstanding payments to be exempted from income taxes.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has disagreed with a position by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) that called on the National COVID-19 Task Force to remove mining as an essential service under the current lockdown measures imposed here to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

'At this time, when Guyana needs all the economic help it can get, mining provides valuable jobs and as such has been recognised as an essential service,' GGDMA said in a statement Friday, adding that it was encouraging all stakeholders to recognize the importance of mining and support miners who live and work in the various villages in the Rupununi.

The toshaos, or village leaders, of several villages in the Rupununi are determined not to let outsiders, including miners, into their villages so as to protect their people against COVID-19.

But, GGDMA said that miners who have the necessary permits and clearances should not be hindered from pursuing a livelihood.

'We support the right of the villages to put in additional control measures to prevent illegal operators from breaching the rules of social distancing and quarantine and from unnecessary interaction with village populations. Guyanese miners like other citizens have a right to work and pursue a livelihood,' GGMDA stated.

'We share the concerns of the villages through which miners must traverse and urge all miners to take full precautions to ensure that they minimise exposure and interaction with local residents. We urge miners to traverse swiftly and safely through the villages and minimise the length of time they spend in areas in which they are not working.

'The GGDMA calls on miners to follow all the health and safety guidelines as set out by the Ministry of Health and to work with the various village Toshaos to help maintain safety,' the association said, adding that even in the current pandemic, miners have continued to work to ensure that mining and the many support industries continue to survive.

GGDMA said that legitimate mining is continuing within the guidelines and laws as set out by the Ministry of Health and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and urged the authorities to ramp up enforcement to prevent illegal border crossings.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan