The strike by sugar workers over wages intensified yesterday after the Guyana Sugar Corpora-tion (GuySuCo) said it could not meet the three per cent increase in salaries this year. An arbitration panel last week ruled that the workers receive a three per cent wage hike from the cash-strapped com-pany that said the payment would not be made until March next year.

But the workers, who had been seeking a 14 per cent increase and represented by the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU), claim that the increase would amount to "nothing" since they have to wait until next year.

Payment for christmas

"Though the arbitration award is binding and final, we would like GuySuCo to make the payments so that the workers can get it for Christmas," said field secretary at the Enmore sugar estate, Laloo Tekchand.

Another worker, Bejaimal Suk-ram, said the increase amounts to nothing since sugar workers were paying more than 33 per cent in value added tax. The arbitration panel also ruled that the salaries of senior GuySuCo managers be reduced after it noted that some of them were taking home as much as G$2 million (US$10,000) a month.