Some 700 workers from the state-run Guyana Power and Light Company went on strike Thursday to demand a 10 percent pay increase, prompting the government to call for emergency negotiations to avoid power blackouts.
The workers walked out after the company said a 4 percent pay raise was their final offer, said Kenneth Joseph, president of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees."We took action after 17 rounds of meetings," said Joseph.
Company officials were not immediately available for comment, but managers and executives were seen manning the electricity generating plants in capital Georgetown and others across the country.
The Ministry of Labor called both sides to an emergency negotiation meeting for Thursday night.
No power outages had been reported, but officials said service could be interrupted if the strike goes through the weekend.
The utility provides 90 percent of electricity in the South American nation of 700,000.
Striking workers earn between Guyana $30,000 (US$150) and Guyana $140,000 (US$700) per month.
