GAWU accuses President of snubbing sugar workers

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is accusing President David Granger of ignoring the plight of sugar workers and snubbing them when it comes to improved wages and salaries in addition to improved standards of living.
“The apparent snub by the President as he ignores the cries, plight and circumstances of our nation’s sugar workers represents another slap in the face of the hard-working and dedicated employees of the industry. It is simply saddening and upsetting when one considers the treatment of the workers during the life of the current Administration. It is a far cry from the embrace they would have received prior to the incumbent Administration taking office,” the GAWU said in a statement.
GAWU’s statement came following a petition it sent to President Granger calling for an improvement in the pay package offered to the nation’s sugar workers. The petition, which was supported by some 3500 workers, has called on the President to recognise the plight of the workers who have been severely hard-pressed by the contemporary realities of life. GAWU said that the petition was probably one of the most subscribed petitions ever received by the President or any President for that matter.
“It, undoubtedly, in our view, should have attracted profound contemplation and serious consideration of the expressions. This, however, it appears was not the case and rather a robotic, stereotype response was provided,” GAWU noted.
President Granger, via a letter dated October 4, responded to GAWU’s petition. The President’s response, which reached the GAWU on October 10 – almost a week after his correspondence is dated, informed that the petition has been forwarded to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). While the President did not share the rationale for his actions, he said he awaited advice from the Corporation on the way forward.
“The response of the President is hardly what the workers wanted to hear especially taking account of the situation they and their family face. Certainly, the sugar workers were hopeful that the President would have displayed decisive leadership and, through his influence, ensure that their pay was improved for the first time in the life of his Administration.
“This appears not to be the case and there is little hope that the Corporation would provide a positive indicator to the Administration on the matter unless there is a clear mandate from the powers-that-be. Of course, the Administration has already signalled publicly that workers of the State would be benefitting from pay rises and the continued exclusion of the sugar workers could only be seen as discriminatory,” the statement explained.
The GAWU has pointed out, on several occasions, how far the earnings of sugar workers have fallen in recent times.