Workers attached to the privately-owned Pln Houston Estate downed tools yesterday to protest management’s decision to cut their Annual Production Incentive (API) and give them a 2.5% increase as opposed to the 5% awarded to Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) workers.

Sugar workers employed with GUYSUCO were awarded a 5% increase for 2003 following arbitration. But management at the Houston Estate went with the lower figure, a break from previous years.

The management at the estate, owned by the Vieira family, insisted that there never was a policy to mirror GUYSUCO; it was simply customary to do that.

About 70 workers — contracted and regular staff — picketed the East Bank Demerara offices yesterday demanding that the management award them the 5% increase. They paraded at the entrance to the estate’s offices and later sat near the gate, presumably awaiting an audience with management.

Meanwhile, Field Mana-ger, Ramkaran Budhram, told Stabroek News that because of economic challenges, management had held discussions on wages with respect to GUYSUCO’s arbitration agreement with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) in January.

According to Budhram, at that meeting the management had said that the estate could not afford to pay the 5%, which GUYSUCO workers had been awarded, but was willing to bargain separately in keeping with its financial situation. Management had offered 2.5% and said it would not pay any Annual Production Incentive (API) but would make a pay out depending on the estate’s profits for the year.

A press release issued on behalf of the workers said that the management had refused to have the matter resolved at the Ministry of Labour. According to the release, despite having a bilateral meeting with the union the estate’s management had also refused to recognise GAWU as the bargaining agent for the workers.

Budhram denied this, explaining that although there was no a formal recognition agreement with any union, the estate’s management had invited GAWU to discussions on behalf of the workers. According to Budhram, the union had met management on three occasions but instead of returning for further discussions had decided to approach the Ministry of Labour seeking conciliation.

The ministry, after being approached by GAWU, wrote to the company about conciliation. But Budhram said the company did not need to do this because there was no collective bargaining agreement in place.

Budhram said Houston estate was a private entity with no links to GUYSUCO and as such was not bound to honour any agreement targeted at workers in that company. He said workers enjoyed other benefits including holiday pay, one-week sickness pay, free medical services and equipment.

The estate celebrated its centenary on July 24 but has been fighting for its economic survival recently. It now only plants and harvests cane, which is milled at one of the GUYSUCO factories.

Over the last few years a relatively profitable operation has been reduced to making a loss of $7 million. One critical area was the API, which cost the company $10 million in payments to its 200-odd staff last year.

Company Chairman Joe Vieira in a Stabroek News article earlier this year had alluded to the difficulties and said that for the immediate future it would not be able to pay the API, but would continue to pay weekly incentive bonuses.