Sugar workers unpaid for 2 weeks – source

Following disclosures that an urgent high-level meeting regarding the financial state of the sugar industry was chaired by acting President Moses Nagamootoo, reports reaching Guyana Times suggest the state of the “cash-strapped” Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is directly impacting workers. This publication was informed Tuesday that for the past two weeks, several categories of workers have not been paid for their services.
Guyana Times was told that workers across the industry turned up the past two Fridays, only to be told that there was no money available to pay them. Information obtained from a source close to the Corporation disclosed that workers still attached at the downsized Wales Sugar Estate were called to a meeting on Monday where they were informed of the industry’s financial state. When workers inquired when they would be receiving payments, officials at Wales could not commit to a date but said that as soon as finances are available, they would be paid.
“Them tell we them going and meet with the acting President and Finance Minister to ask them for money and if [Government] give them the money, then [we will] get paid,” an individual present at the meeting disclosed. This publication understands that another meeting will be held sometime today to update workers on what the Sugar Corporation was able to secure, following an assessment of its proposals at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
On Monday, Prime Minister Nagamootoo along with GuySuCo’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Clive Thomas and Chief Executive Officer, Errol Hanoman, met to discuss “urgent cash flow relative to wages, salaries and other payments at GuySuCo.” GuySuCo revealed that at the high-level meeting, it was agreed on the steps to be taken to ensure that employees are paid for services provided to the Corporation for the past weeks. GuySuCo had disclosed that the Chairman and the CEO were “given assurances that the matter is being given the utmost consideration by the Government and the Corporation.”
Following the shutdown of the Wales, West Bank Demerara sugar factory in December 2016, Government announced planned closures of the Enmore and Rose Hall sugar estates, and the privatisation of the Skeldon Sugar Factory. At present, the Guyana Sugar Corporation employs close to 17,000 people but it has been estimated that the planned downsizing could directly affect the livelihoods of some 10,000 sugar workers and thousands more via their family members and communities that depend on the sugar industry. Government has long contended that the necessary measures to re-organise sugar must be implemented for it to be sustained and the Wales Estate was the first entity to be closed under the policy decision which was met with much criticism and protests.