GAWU Press for Voluntary Arbitration

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is seeking to refer its wage dispute with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) to arbitration in keeping the Memorandum of Agreement with respect to the Recognition and Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes between the Union and Guysuco. The dispute having remained unsettled at the conciliatory level is qualified to be referred to Arbitration pursuant to Clause 5 (2) (i) of the Memorandum of Agreement.

The Company proposed to proceed to this level by letter dated October 29, 2009 and the Union promptly responded to the Corporation’s request on October 30, 2009 having received the Corporation’s correspondence after working hours on October 29, 2009 seeking a meeting with the Corporation.

The Corporation seems to have a change of mind noting in a letter to the Union dated October 30, 2009 its support for compulsory arbitration.

The Union in a subsequent letter on October 30, 2009, reminded the Corporation that the extant Agreement must be necessarily followed and expressed the view that the imposition of Compulsory Arbitration was premature.  Hence the Union reiterated that the Corporation meets the Union to address the arbitration process as outlined in the Recognition Agreement.

In the meantime the industrial action by the workers across the industry continues as the workers maintain their protest against the withdrawal of the three (3) per cent wage offer following the conclusion of conciliatory proceedings on October 29, 2009.