Blairmont sugar workers down tools

– call for increase in wages, salaries

Field and factory workers attached to the Blairmont Sugar Estate, on Tuesday came out in their numbers to protest for increase in wages and salaries.
The angry protesters stood outside the estate compound as they chanted, “Wage increase, wage increase.”
Some held placards, with slogans, “address out 15 per cent clam”, “No closure and sell out of Blairmont Estate”, “2014 rates in 2018 can’t work”, “higher cost of living and less pay” and “big bosses eating mutton, workers eating nothing”. Another group chanted, “Sarwan must go”.
Hemraj Lackram from the bell loading department argued that they deserve better

working conditions. “The cost for a lot of things raised and the money can’t compensate. We have little children going to school and the money is not sufficient.”
Another worker, Zaman Ali, who is a weeder, said on many occasions they are given tasks which they cannot complete in a day. When this happens, he said they are not paid for that day.
On some occasions they are given a half day’s pay. According to Ali, the field supervisor has been reluctant to visit weeding sites with the workers to address their concerns. “The boss man say he coming and he not coming and see the work,” he explained.
“We want wage increase,” says Nical Nero, another member of the weeding gang.

“It is long overdue. Since 2014, we get a wage increase and we did not get any from 2015.”
Another gang member, Vanessa Phillips was more to the point. “Cost of living going up and I have children to look after. Me wan money. Wage increase money.”
They are contending that since the change of government in 2015, working with the estate is no longer something to look forward to.
A representative of the workers, Bickram Singh related that apart from the lack of salary increases, the cost of living has skyrocketed since the last time an increase was given to workers.
“It is about time that sugar workers deserve a wage increase because this Government has imposed over 200 taxes on us and took away the children’s school grant so the burden come back right away to the workers and therefore whatever was our wages in 2014 can’t carry on any longer.”
Earlier in the year, teachers through their union, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) took to the streets in protest demanding salary increases. It was given to them after the Union and Government met several times to iron out the increases.
Government has now given public servants between 0.5 and 7 per cent salary increases and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has rejected the increases approved by the Government, saying it is an imposition while the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has criticised the coalition Government’s move for imposing a salary increases on public servants.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) believes sugar workers are being targeted. The Berbice representative, Harvey Tambron says the Union made representation for wage increases for workers in 2015, 2016, 2017 and this year.
“We had negotiations and those negotiations were declared deadlocked. We tried and exhausted the system and [the Guyana Sugar Corporation] GuySuCo nor the Government did not pay heed to our demands or proposals and so the sugar workers did not receive anything. So far for this year they have not gotten a dime. As to the 15 per cent that we are proposing, we went to the bargaining table and discussed fringes and other conditions and of now there is no offer on the table for the sugar workers.”
According to Tambron, not only has commodities increased, but the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) has also increased tariffs.
The protest received full support from factory workers, the bell loaders and the field workshop, cane harvesters and other small gangs in the cultivation. Tambron said they are all affected by the wage freeze.
“Life has become a challenge. They cannot see a way forward and the holidays are coming… making mention of teachers and other public servants, the Union rep said sugar workers are being ignored… I want to believe it is an act of spitefulness to undermine the sugar workers and the industry.”
The workers are willing to continue their protest but the Union is not in support saying that it first has to strategise a plan. Tambron says it is being hoped that Government will be moved by the one day protest to make an offer to the workers.
Tambron’s comments come on the heels of the presentation of the National Budget which was presented to the Parliament hours before the protest. The budget made no mention of wage increases for sugar workers.