THE country’s sugar workers have agreed to a new two-year collective labour agreement covering the period 2006/07, which will see them getting increased wages of 10 per cent in the first year and six-and-a-half per cent in the second year.

They will also get a two-and-a-half per cent bonus in the second year relative to the crop period.

The agreement was signed yesterday between the Sugar Producers Federation and representatives of the three trade unions representing the workers, the National Workers Union (NWU), the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) and the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU).

Speaking at the signing, the labour and social security minister, Horace Dalley, said the agreement “while not the best”, represented a significant benefit in light of the “tremendous challenges facing the sugar industry”.

He was referring to the 36 per cent cut in the price of sugar to the European union (EU) which began to take effect in phases in January, and falling production levels.

That theme was also explored by the finance and planning minister, Dr Omar Davies, who said his ministry was exploring ways and means of “establishing a new and dynamic role for the trade unions” within the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for public sector workers.

“While there will be no major increases, we need to do basic things to ensure human dignity outside of the usual scheme of things… and we need to explore the role of trade unions in national development and how to advance collaboration to achieve certain objectives,” said Davies.

One of the initiatives he said would be to formally bring trade unions into external negotiations with groups such as the World Bank, so that the country’s creditors could gain greater insight into how unions operated.

“They (creditors) need to see that these are not guerillas outside the city walls aiming to invade, but our partners,” said Davies.

In the meantime, BITU representative Pearnel Charles called for the Sugar Producers Federation to be allowed to import granulated (white) sugar into the market.

He said allowing the federation to import 60,000 tons would generate enough surplus to pay the workers in the industry a healthy bonus.

That practice was discontinued due to large amounts of the sugar ending up in the distributive trade when it was earmarked for industry.