Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 30, 2017 News
Several cane planters from the East Demerara estates protested on Tuesday over a reported plan to have them involved in harvesting activities.
This development would come a week after 40-odd planters from Enmore estate re-visited the Head Office of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and related that the management of the estate is demanding that they undertake cane-cutting tasks.
The planters are not accepting the move from the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) as they are insisting that they are substantively cane planters, a major difference in the sugar cane industry.
According to GAWU, the largest sugar union, it sent a delegation which met with GuySuCo’s Industrial Relations Department and the estate management, last Friday.
“That meeting concluded with GuySuCo’s assurance that the planters would be offered alternative work like engagement in the factory, rat baiting, infield weeding, and canal cleaning.”
However, the workers, on their arrival to work Monday morning, claimed that they were, however, advised by the management of the Enmore estate that only cane cutting tasks would be provided to them.
”The irate workers, who are employed as planters, felt that a meeting with Minister Keith Scott would be useful to have their grievance aired. The Minister, at short notice, agreed to meet the union’s delegation. At the meeting, six of the planters and the union’s General Secretary, Seepaul Narine, related their issue to the Minister and the Chief Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer (CLOSH), Charles Ogle.
The Minister at the conclusion of the meeting suggested that an audience be sought with Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, who is responsible for agriculture,” GAWU explained yesterday.
GAWU made it clear that this development is strikingly similar to what GuySuCo is doing with the workers of Wales; compelling them to take up work at Uitvlugt estate.
“More and more, it seems, we are seeing a return of forced labour in the sugar industry. That atrocious system perfected under colonialism, we recall, saw many struggles to dislodge it and gave us several martyrs who serve as a stark reminder of that inhumane system. Such machinations of our modern-day sugar barons are reprehensible and needs to be condemned widely and resisted.”
The union noted that the cessation of cane planting, which GuySuCo says is temporary, points to the estate’s possible closure.
“Though no official announcement has been made, it is becoming clearer that the Government’s proposals to close Enmore estate and Rose Hall Estate and to sell-out Skeldon estate, is becoming more and more a reality. The workers are against the estate closure as they are very concerned about their employment and their families’ well-being.”
GAWU said that workers have pointed out that job opportunities are scarce, if not non-existent, and closure will fill their lives with uncertainty and misery.
”At this time, while Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is saying that sugar will never die, we are seeing more and more efforts by the administration, of which he is a high-ranking official, taking measures which are not in keeping with what the PM said would not happen. While some persons may fall for such utterances, another reality is staring sugar workers in their faces. It is a sad reality.”
GuySuCo is facing major cash problems, made worse from falling production and aging factories.
A new factory at Skeldon, Berbice, which saw US$200M being spent, has failed to fire.
Wales factory, on the West Bank of Demerara, was closed last December by the Coalition Government for becoming too inefficient after a century in operation.
GuySuCo can barely pay its creditors with government forced to step in and pay a number of large loans.
Consecutive governments, facing a political fallout from 16,000 workers on the breadline, have been stepping in and disbursing cash bailouts to the tune of billions of dollars annually, a situation which has been a major drain on the treasury.
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