…protest will continue against “inflexible” GuySuCo – GAWU
Workers of the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Friday continued protest action against the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for better workplace protocols against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and were yet again dispersed by Police.
Workers picketing outside the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate on Friday
The picketing started on Wednesday, with workers demanding that the company promote adequate social distancing while ensuring that their hours of work remained outside of the 18:00h-06:00h curfew period.
In a statement on Friday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union
(GAWU) said the workers practised social distancing and wore masks while protesting for their demands to be considered. They voiced that this stance was in the interest of preserving their safety in the face of COVID-19.
However, the sugar workers were met with opposition from a swarm of Police ranks, with instructions to remove from the site with which they complied.
The Union detailed, “Certainly, their calls are not outlandish or unprincipled as some have sought to say. Today, as the workers continued their protests, in keeping with the relevant conditions, a contingent of Police Officers again turned up. In announcing their presence, the officers instructed the workers to immediately end their picketing and to disperse from the vicinity. When asked why they were being asked to end their picketing, the Police advised that the COVID-19 restrictions prevented such activities… Notwithstanding the explanation, the Police insisted and the workers being respectful heeded their call though most upset and disturbed.”
GAWU went on to say that discussions with GuySuCo were required at this time to bring this matter to rest. But this has been lacking from the company’s end. The Union further added that the situation has escalated to a point where it was “most unfortunate” and moreover, the only intention was to secure proper health practices for workers to remain safe.
“We hold that sober-minded discussions could well see an appropriate arrangement being reached in the interest of all parties. However, it appears from the company’s point-of-view, such an approach is lacking and contributing to the sorry state of affairs. We, nevertheless, look forward to sensibleness being arrived at in view of the prevailing public health crisis. The workers’ call, we reiterate, has significant merit and is in keeping with policies that have been embraced in other sections of the Estate already,” GAWU said.
With no talks to resolve the issue, the workers’ representative body expressed that GuySuCo was being inflexible despite some level of compromise from workers. The Estate continues to uphold its position that the workers must operate in the curfew hours notwithstanding the difficulties they face.
“At this time, … GuySuCo remains inflexible though at the commencement of the out-of-crop period, it had agreed that workers would not work during the curfew period.”
On Thursday, GAWU said these actions were seen as attempts “to trample on the rights of the workers”.
“While we are unsure of how the Police arrived at the scene, the workers were most upset that their peaceful activity was abruptly and forcibly terminated,” GAWU said in the missive.
It went on to reiterate calls for better sense to prevail and for an amicable and workable arrangement to be arrived at. GAWU said it believed that a “sober and sincere consideration” of the workers’ views should be pursued and acknowledgement made of the harm they could face at this time.
