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BY
RADHICA SOOKRAJ
Production plants at Yara Trinidad Limited cranked into
operation yesterday as workers returned to their jobs at
the end of a short-lived strike. The workers walked off
the jobs last Friday vowing to with-hold their labour for
the maximum three months.
However, after hurried meetings during the weekend the two
sides agreed to a 16.5 per cent wage increase and resolved
a number of issues which had delayed settlement over the
last few months.
In a statement, Yara’s human resource manager Fitzroy
Harewood said that the strike action officially ended on
Monday, as the Oilfield Workers Trade union (OWTU) closed
the deal on the negotiations.
Harewood said the settlement covers the period August 1,
2007 to July 31st 2010.
“The
settlement includes 16.5% percentage wage increases over
a three-year period, with the 1st year at five per cent,
second year at 5.5 per cent and the third year at six per
cent,” Harewood said.
He said that workers received improvements in medical plans.
He said Yara also committed to discussing revised work arrangements
for shift employees during periods of plant maintenance.
He said workers have also received lump sum cash payments
in the second year, restructuring of other benefits including
Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) at 23 cents for every 1
point rise in the retail price index over the three year
period, as well as an 80 per cent increase in housing allowance
and 50 per cent increase in travelling allowance.
Harewood lamented that the weekend strike had affected production
at Yara.
However, he noted that because of the new agreements, workers
were now receiving competitive compensation in the energy
industry. Yara operates a three-plant ammonia production
facility at Savonetta in central Trinidad. The company exports
99 per cent of its annual 1.3 million metric tons of ammonia,
making T&T the world’s leading exporter of ammonia.
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