GAWU shuts down request for other estates to join strike actions in Berbice

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has refused to allow other estates to join their colleagues at the protest line in solidarity with the transferred sugar workers, who are required to return to the Rose Hall Estate when it reopens next month.
The strike continued on Monday, this time in front of the PPP/C office in New Amsterdam, where other categories of sugar workers joined the protest, which is in its second week. The workers on strike are those who were transferred from the Rose Hall Estate when it was closed in 2017. They are now being asked to return to the estate, despite not being given treatment similar to the retrenched workers. The retrenched sugar workers were paid a severance package which the transferred workers were not entitled to.

Last Wednesday, scores of harvesters and planters from the Albion Estate, along with more than 100 harvesters from the Blairmont Estate, downed tools as they called for a package similar to what had been given retrenched workers if they are to return to the Rose Hall Estate.
On Monday, they were joined by the seven welders and seven recleaners who were also transferred from the Rose Hall Estate when it was closed.
When that estate was closed, about 2500 persons were employed, and 1,181 were retrenched and were sequentially issued with severance packages.

The striking workers took to the streets one day after a high-level meeting involving senior officials of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), GAWU, management of the three estates, and workers’ representatives. The meeting was aimed at discussing harvesting strategies for the Rose Hall Estate, which is expected to commence grinding operations on September 16. A decision was taken at that meeting to relocate 140 cane harvesters from the Albion Estate and a further 130 from Blairmont Estate to work at Rose Hall Estate for the crop, which is expected to last between five and six weeks.
GAWU Berbice representative Harvey Tambron, who is also the union’s Vice President, has said the issue was not brought to the fore during last Wednesday’s meeting, but on Saturday a high-level delegation from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) met with the union and about 50 workers who are currently on strike. That meeting was headed by GuySuCo’s Agriculture Director Vishnu Panday.
“At the end of the meeting, the workers demanded that they be given their severance package. The Agriculture Director explained it cannot happen, so we left the meeting with the understanding that they are demanding to have their severance package,” Tambron explained.
Moreover, the striking workers are arguing that apart from the severance packages, the retrenched workers also received the $250,000 cash grant that was handed out after the PPP returned to office, whereas they received nothing.
“We are continuing to represent the matter until we have a solution to the matter. These workers are adamant, and they decided to call on the other estates to support them, but we are not lobbying for that. What we are for is that somebody from the Government should approach the workers and talk to them and find a way out in order to resolve the issue. Whatever the outcome, the union stands by the workers,” Tambron declared.
However, Tambron explained that although some of the workers are protesting for better working conditions and benefits, work continues at the Albion and Blairmont Estates. On Monday, Albion reported that 515 harvesters were on duty, and were able to load 342 punts of cane; while at Blairmont, 227 harvesters turned out and loaded 150 punts of cane.
Last week Blairmont Estate produced 773 tonnes of its projected 890 tonnes’ target of sugar. Albion, on the other hand, produced 906 tonnes of its projected 1400 tonnes’ target of sugar. (Andrew Carmichael)