Sugar workers attached to the Wales Estate, West Bank Demerara, again took to the streets to vent their displeasure against the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) nonpayment of severance packages on Tuesday. A large number of sugar workers gathered just after 07:00h Tuesday morning in front of the Wales Sugar Estate and reiterated that their payments were due since December.
The workers highlighted that they need money to take care of their families and further noted that the Sugar Corporation has not favourably responded to their
The protest outside the Wales Estate grew on Tuesday as workers continue to demand their severance payments
pleas.
“Dem a lie to workers; we need we severance pay long enough now,” a worker expressed.
“GuySuCo [hasn’t] told us anything about we severance pay onto now and the Estate Manager said we ah protest and he [won’t] talk to anybody,” worker, Rahem Seepersaud noted.
Following calls for more representation, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) stated that it was “puzzled by media reports” which stated that GuySuCo said 650 workers from the Wales Estate would take up employment at Uitvlugt Estate. GAWU’s Grievance Officer, Satesh Rajpat, who joined the picket line on Tuesday, explained that the Union never agreed to any such proposal.
“It just something they’re peddling, its false information,” Rajpat noted.
Responding to the rice diversification project, the workers claimed that no rice was planted and stressed that the only thing was done was ploughing.
The rice project was announced after Government had confirmed the end of sugar operations at Wales Estate, citing costs as the main factor for closure.
The workers told Guyana Times that they are prepared to go the distance to ensure that their severance is paid. Their contention is that they cannot be compelled to travel beyond 10 miles to their place work, and as such, prefer their severance payments, in keeping with the relevant labour laws.
“We’re gonna ask our fellow sugar workers in the other estates to support us in this struggle because what happened to us, they could do the same thing. It’s an embarrassing thing to all Guyanese, we need to stop this nonsense and speak truth,” worker Hassan Ali explained.
On Monday several irate sugar workers protested the non-payment of the severance packages. They had explained that management at Wales Estate encouraged them to take up employment at Uitvlugt, premised on claims that GAWU agreed to such a measure. The Union later denied these claims, noting that no definitive discussions and conclusions were reached at the GAWU-GuySuCo engagement last week Wednesday.
GAWU had further noted that the Corporation had informed the Union’s delegation that it was seeking to have some 420 workers – cane cutters and the workers engaged in transporting the canes from the fields to the factory – take up work at Uitvlugt Estate to augment that Estate’s labour pool. The Union then explained that the shop stewards had “advised” the Corporation’s representatives at the meeting that they and their fellow workers were seeking to be paid severance as cane production was discontinued at the Wales Estate.
It is expected that between today and tomorrow, some 420 workers will be involved in engagements on the Corporation’s proposals.
In early 2016, Guyana Times broke the news of Government’s intention to close the Wales factory. It was later disclosed that rice will be planted as part of the diversification plans but it remains unclear when the first rice crop will be reaped.
