See full statement from the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial, and Industrial Employees (NAACIE):
The employees of the Guyana Power & Light are heading for a sad Christmas due to a breakdown of wages and salary negotiation between their union NAACIE and GPL Inc.
The union NAACIE submit a proposal to GPL Inc. on June 28th, 2024, for increases in wages and salary and other benefits and had their first meeting on September 27th, 2024.
GPL inform the Negotiation team that in terms of Across the Board increases they will have to wait for the pronouncement of the Stakeholder, and we continued to discuss the other benefits.
On Tuesday December 10th, 2024, His Excellency President Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that there is an agreement between the Government and the Public Service Union agreeing to an across the board increase of 10% for 2024 and 8% for 2025 with additional increases/movements in salary scales which will bring the total average increases on salary to 26% and increases in other benefits.
NAACIE and GPL have an agreement where increases in salary have three (3) parts:
(a) A 3% Annual Automatic in Scale Increment that is to avoid de bunching and paid in January every year and has conditions attached to qualified for this payment.
(b) Annual Performance Incentive which is a one-off payment and
(c) Across the Board Increase.
At NAACIE and GPL negotiation meeting held on December 13th, 2024, at the GPL Sophia Training Building. GPL Stated that they are offering to the members of NAACIE a 7% All-inclusive Increase which will include the Annual Performance Incentive and the 3% Annual Automatic in Scale Increment which was paid in January 2024.
The members were in total shock and rejected the offer by the company. Stating that the 3% Annual Automatic Increment is an in-scale increase and not all employees in GPL have received it, the Annual Performance Incentive Increase is a one-off payment and does not add to your salary and that they are requesting the 10% Across the Board increase that was pronounced by the Stakeholder.
GPL said that they cannot agree to that, and the meeting concluded.
From Friday December 13, 2024, to Today December 18, 2024, there has been no official word from GPL and as such the Executive and Members of NAACIE has instructed the UNION to serve GPL a one-month Ultimatum.
All the Employees of GPL is requesting is that GPL comply with the pronouncement that was made by the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
