Power Company to lay off workers

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated says it will lay off 75 employees as part of a downsizing exercise, according to a report on www.cananews.net.



GPL chief executive officer, Bharat Dindyal, said with the recent inter-connection to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Skeldon operation, which is providing 14 mega watts of power and the commissioning of a 20.7 mega watts facility in the capital, the demand for labour has decreased.



“With the 20.7 operation set we have here now we could stop operating those diesel required sets...(so) there would not be a need for the people there if you are not generating,” Dindyal told reporters.



He said the affected workers would be fully compensated



“The provision of the severance pay act in our conditions is superior to that of the average separation so it’s not any meagre sum. In fact the average benefits comes up to one and a half million dollars.”



GPL says it has met with the National Agricultural and Industrial Employees Union (NACCIE) to discuss the severance packages for the workers.



But NACCIE president Lincoln Lewis has accused the power company of targeting its members for retrenchment and said it is working to have the workers remain on the job.



Officials say the workers to be axed were part of the 250 listed for dismissal last year, but the company was forced to shelve the retrenchment programme after it said its expansion works were delayed.