Director of Industrial Relations at GUYSUCO Mr. Jairam Petam told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that there had been a full resumption at the factory and a 50 per cent turnout in the fields.

The GUYSUCO official explained that field turnout was normal, since the cane is a little stale.

Workers at the Sugar Factory Workers took to the streets on Tuesday protesting the installation of a new chute, which feeds bagasse into the Number Three Boiler of the factory.

They contended that the chute is restricting the factory's sugar output.

Following an escalation in the industrial action the following day, resulting in the intervention by the Police, and a number of sugar workers and a prominent television personality being arrested, representatives of GUYSUCO and Guyana Agriculture and Workers Union (GAWU) met with Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Mohamed Akeel later on Wednesday at La Bonne Intention (LBI) factory, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The meeting saw the parties agreeing to a full resumption of work and GUYSUCO and GAWU agreed to work under the chairmanship of the Chief Labour Officer to bring a closure to the problem.

Yesterday, the Chief Labour Officer was at Wales Estate where he had a first-hand look at the Number Three Boiler, the source of concern among sugar workers. He subsequently held another meeting.

In 1976, an agreement was signed between GAWU and GUYSUCO, which agreement clearly stipulates the procedures in handling grievances.

According to the agreement, workers must first exhaust the process of negotiation at the various levels, before moving to take industrial action.