GAWU wants decision to be made permanent

Sugar estates’ temporary reopening

…writes Minister of State insisting that all dismissed workers be rehired

By Michael Younge

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) on Friday wrote Minister of State Joseph Harmon as it lobbied the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change coalition-Government to not only rehire all of the workers that were dismissed but to ensure that the decision is made absolute and permanent.

In the letter seen by Guyana Times, GAWU states that it has noted the statements made by Minister Harmon and his Cabinet colleague, Finance Minister Winston Jordan in sections of the press, which quoted them as saying that a decision to temporarily reopen two estates – namely Enmore and Skeldon – was arrived at by the Special Purposes Unit (SPU) of the Government.
“While this is indeed welcomed news, and you recall that was among the suggestions that our Union put to the Government at our January 19 meeting engagement, we also recognise that if the media reports are indeed accurate that the estates will be operated on a limited basis, while the media did not spell out what limited basis meant, it is our view that all the affected workers should be reengaged,” the Union said.
The letter dispatched to Harmon also raised concerns over the fact that no mention was made of the fate of the Rose Hall Estate or the employees there who were equally negatively affected by the closure.
It said, “the ex-workers there are really facing trying times” and called on the Government to “consider what can be done in a short-time to alleviate the hardships that the workers have to face,” in general.

When contacted on Friday, GAWU’s General Secretary Seepaul Narine confirmed that the Union’s position had not changed as it was primarily interested in the reopening of all estates which were closed or significantly downsized.
He maintained GAWU was fully on the side of the workers and batting for their interests, as he explained that the livelihood of the thousands of affected workers was more important than financial figures at this point.
Nonetheless, GAWU said the Union wanted the decision to be a long-term one as he denied rumours that it had agreed to only reopening certain estates.
In fact, GAWU was not even properly consulted ahead of the sudden decision to temporarily reopen two of the three closed estates. While there may have been engagements between the Special Purposes Unit and the worker’s union, no formal discussions or consultations were initiated by the Government outside of the meeting with the President and team back in January.
Once a decision is taken to reemploy hundreds of workers, Seepaul said conditions of work, contracts and pay as well as benefits would have to be discussed. He said GAWU is prepared for any form of engagement that is governed by the international labour laws that may involve officialdom.
Meanwhile, GAWU in a statement on Friday emphasised that significantly too, are the conditions of work that the soon-to-be re-employed workers would be re-engaged under.
“This situation could very well present a new host of difficulties while, at same time, we cannot be certain how many of the distressed workers will not be re-employed. On this score, we urge the Government not to forget that not just a few weeks ago it embraced and espoused the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Programme which speaks to, among other things, fair income, job security, respect for workers’ rights and freedoms, and equality”, the statement said.

Rose Hall
GAWU expressed an alarming level of concern over what was happening with the Rose Hall Estate and workers.
“While encouraged by the developments we, at this time, cannot fail to recognise that no mention has been made about Rose Hall Estate where the people are facing too a very pitiful situation,” the Union said, adding that at a press conference, just two days ago, a number of ex-workers from Rose Hall shared with the Guyanese people the terrible times they are facing since their estate was closed.
GAWU said too that the people of Rose Hall find themselves now-a-days between a rock and a hard place as they are made to contend with a jobless life explaining that as the ex-Rose Hall workers explained at the press conference on February 14, 2018, the opportunity for jobs in the surrounding areas is near to non-existent.
But Head of the Special Purposes Unit Calvin London, when contacted on Friday, did confirm that a decision was made to reopen two estates. He was in a meeting at time and pointed our newspaper in direction of the entity’s public relation personnel.
Guyana Times understands from sources close to both the SPU and GAWU have stated that a process is to be rolled out over the coming weeks that would scores of workers from Enmore and Skeldon being reemployed.