GEORGETOWN: The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) signed a new wages agreement with the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) that will see GPL workers receiving a five percent increase in wages and salaries for the 2015 calendar year. The December 2014 basic salary will be used as the base for application of the five percent salary increase. The workers will also receive a performance incentive award. GPL has agreed to pay a one-off lump sum payment of $10,000 per month or $120,000 for the entire year, or prorated as the case maybe for each employee.
The power company and the union agreed to increase the meal allowance provided to workers effective January 1 this year to $1,000. This will be applied in accordance with the stipulations and eligibility regarding the clause as outlined in the substantive agreement between the two entities.
Productive Negotiations
Bal Persaud, Human Resource Director at GPL, said the negotiations leading to the agreement were productive and resulted in only two meetings. This, he said, is a good sign. “Paramount in our minds is the development of GPL as an efficient, high- performing and well functioning state agency. Our customers and our chief stakeholders will look forward to nothing else from us. I am happy to say that I am of the feeling that we are on that road,” said Persaud.
The human resource director added that “Come January we will embark on the new negotiations. Waiting until year-end would become a thing of the past as the union and GPL intend to work towards new agreements earlier.
“We don’t have to wait until December again when we have to huddle and be under a lot of constraints of time and expectations to arrive at a new agreement. I want to thank the union, its members, I know you are hard negotiators …I am very happy and delighted.”
Meanwhile, NAACIE’s General Secretary Kenneth Joseph said he too is pleased that his union and the power company were able to come to an agreement within two weeks. “We only started negotiating a matter of two weeks ago, and it is good that we could end up at this level. I remember when we spoke at the last meeting, the guys were ready to sign, but we said let’s get back to our members,” said Joseph.
He like Persaud said that negotiations between the two entities should begin earlier. “We are hoping now that as soon as the year begins we can start negotiating for 2016 and onwards.”
The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and Consultant to the Department of Labour Francis Carryl. In brief remarks, Ogle said the level of maturity demonstrated by both GPL and NAACIE spoke volumes. He noted that it is because of the maturity of the entities that the Department of Labour did not have to intervene. “Collective bargaining must always be a priority,” he said. He urged both parties to demonstrate maturity in the future and work towards the benefit of workers.
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