More than 200 workers of the state-owned oil company, GUYOIL, began a sit in action today to press the company to meet their demands for increased salaries and to also pay them a Christmas bonus.
Negotiations for salary increases started earlier this year but are now stalled. The proposal on the table was for the company to offer an 8% appraisal increase or a 5% increase across the board.
But the company called in the union to outline its new position that it could no longer offer any increases or bonuses.
The matter is now engaging the Labour Department. But President of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union, Sherwood Clark, accused GUYOIL and not wanting to continue to negotiate in good faith.
“The Union and the Company were negotiating in good faith, but ended up being in bad faith and the workers are not prepared to accept the offer that the management is proposing” Mr. Clark explained.
The Union President said the proposals and agreements that were on the table had already been negotiated under the previous government.
But the company’s position now is that it cannot afford the increases or the bonus.
“The Company and management call in the union, to tell the union that there will be zero increases and zero bonus, after we have been in dialogue since July 2020. Now we are at a standoff with the company. The management indicated at the Labour Department, that they cannot pay any increase for this year and the union is sticking to their position of 8% based on appraisal system or 5% across the board” Mr Clarke maintained.
The Union said it will not accept the position of the state-owned company and the workers will continue their industrial action until their demands are given serious consideration and met
At the company’s shareholders’ meeting earlier this year, it was revealed that GUYOIL recorded $2.5 billion in profits last year which represents a 63% increase in profits when compared to 2018.
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