Blairmont Estate harvesters on strike

Field workers attached to two gangs at the Blairmont Sugar Estate are on strike over a price dispute with management and in two days have cost the estate to lose 527 man days.

The workers began their industrial action on Thursday after being unable to come to an agreement with management over the price being paid per bed of cane. The workers are claiming that the cane is spaced and short which would result in them receiving low tonnage, hence the request for a higher price.

Two hundred and forty workers attached to 61B Gang showed up for work on Thursday but did not work, while 260 workers attached to QHE6 Gang showed up on Thursday and took strike action. On Friday, all of the 240 workers attached to 61B took strike action while 145 showed up for work from QHE6 Gang and 97 refused to work.

The workers are also concerned about the state of the roads leading to the cane fields. The striking cane harvesters are being backed by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

Regional Branch Coordinator of GAWU Harvey Tambron says management benefited from a long out of crop period which could have been utilised to repair the roads. “Management had enough time to repair the roads. The roads are in a bad condition.” Tambron noted that management had the materials to carry out road repair during the out of crop period. He said the work could have been contracted to harvesters.

The Blairmont Estate which commenced grinding on Saturday had a target of 20,281 tons for this crop.