A major breakthrough has been reached in labor tensions at Suriname’s primary energy provider, De Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS), after the company’s recognized employee union, OWOS, announced it would suspend previously announced industrial action. The decision came following a productive round of talks between union leadership and EBS senior management, OWOS chair Marciano Hellings confirmed in an interview with local outlet Starnieuws.
The negotiation session was led by EBS Chief Operating Officer Robert Pancham, with Technical Director Rishidath Mathoera and Chief Financial Officer Felicia Zerp also in attendance. This meeting marked the first constructive dialogue between the two sides after a lengthy period of deadlock, according to Hellings, who emphasized that the tone of the talks marked a positive shift in labor relations at the firm.
Both sides signed off on a clear set of binding agreements during the discussion. A key deadline has been set: by the end of this week (Thursday), the parties are expected to finalize negotiations on the 2025 collective labor agreement, and will immediately launch talks on the 2026 agreement once that milestone is completed.
Another critical commitment reached during the talks requires EBS management to publish an official position on the controversial 40K allowance by April 30, with the principle of pay equity mandated as the core starting point for the stance. The agreement also specifies that all other outstanding personnel issues must either be fully resolved or officially placed on the formal processing track by the same end-of-April deadline.
Following the negotiation, the full set of outcomes was presented to OWOS’s general membership assembly, which voted to approve a temporary suspension of the planned industrial action. Hellings explained that the membership body chose to grant both the union leadership and EBS management sufficient time and space to implement all agreed-upon measures within the set deadlines.
A follow-up general assembly has already been scheduled to convene after April 30 to review progress on all commitments. At that meeting, members will vote on whether to end the industrial action threat permanently or resume the planned work stoppage if the agreed terms are not met.