…up pressure on GuySuCo to address unsettled wage increases
By Andrew Carmichael
Factory workers, cane harvesters and other field workers attached to the Blairmount and Albion sugar estates in Berbice on Monday went on strike, intensifying their demands for the Guyana Sugar Corporation to address the issue of wages and salary increases.
The workers are demanding promised increases by Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for the year 2019.
Since 2018, the workers had been pushing the Corporation by way of strikes for wage and salary increases. They have not received any since 2014.
However, in 2020, the Corporation agreed to pay a 5 per cent across the board increase with the promise that they would also pay retroactive increases for 2019. The 5 per cent increase for 2020 was open for further discussion.
The workers are being backed by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).
Cane harvester attached to the Blairmount Estate and workers’ representative Vicram Singh explained that the Union and GuySuCo met last on March 9.
“In that meeting, the CEO told us that they would have to engage the Government for the outstanding retroactive increases. However, the meeting concluded with the understanding that the CEO will get on to us by the end of March and he is yet to make contact with us,” the cane harvester disclosed. At Blairmont, the workers held a picketing exercise in front of the main administrative office while a similar exercise was held at Albion, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
At Albion, 1582 workers went on strike on Monday with 683 opting to work and over at Blairmount 306 opted to work and 906 were on strike.
Nical Hero, who is employed as a weeder at the Blairmount Estate said the increases are needed in the wake of rising prices.
“Cost of living gone high, everything raise in the shop. So, why we cannot get a raise in salary?” the weeder asked.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha noted that the Government did not make any promises to the workers in relation to pay increases.
“It is not the Government. The sugar workers need to be clear. I saw that GuySuCo met with the workers and said that they would look at their request. As a Government, we don’t interfere with management and Union negotiations,” the Minister explained.
Meanwhile, cane harvester Singh said as workers, they have lost confidence in the CEO.
He further explained that the CEO requested that they put forward their proposals for the retroactive increases which included 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“I have copies of letters which was sent to GuySuCo since 2019, explaining our proposal and on October 6, a similar letter was penned to the CEO of GuySuCo Sasenarine Singh.
So, to ask us to submit proposals again is an eye pass to us as workers.”
Meanwhile, workers who fall under the umbrella of the National Association of Commercial and Industrial Employees (NACIE) did not participate in the strike.
Those employees say they do not think they are getting the kind of support they should from their Union.
Addressing the issue of wage and salary increases, Mustapha said the workers should take note that over the past eight months huge sums of money has been injected into the sugar industry.
“Our commitment was to ensure that we reopen the closed sugar estates. We are working aggressively to do that. Our first target is Rosehall Estate.”
That estate is scheduled to commence grinding operations by the second crop in 2022. Both the Enmore and Skeldon Sugar Estates are also on stream to become operational shortly after that.
According to Mustapha, Government will endeavour to work with GuySuCo to see in what way they might be able to assist.
“We also have to look at GuySuCo’s ability to pay. We have been putting funds into GuySuCo over the last nine months in order to develop GuySuCo. As a matter of fact, we are starting to see results already from some of the estates.”
He singled out the Albion and Blairmount Estates, which have been able to qualify for three additional days’ pay for workers as an incentive for achieving set targets.
“That came about because the factories are now being enhanced because of critical capital works and also in the cultivation area we are now looking at making proper infrastructure and roads so that the canes can come faster to the factories.”
The Agriculture Minister said he is still to be briefed by the CEO on the discussions between the workers, the Unions and the management of the sugar corporation.
He said he is hoping to be briefed during the current week.
