Region 6 to Govt: Provide free transport for dismissed workers’ children
The Region Six RDC on Thursday voted unanimously on a motion to provide, and finance, transportation for the children of severed sugar workers in the Rose Hall Canje/East Bank Berbice area and in the areas from Crabwood Creek to Number 56 Village on the Corentyne.
Put to the house by Regional Vice Chairman Dennis DeRoop, the motion received full support from both the People’s Progressive Party and A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change.
Samuel T Fraser voted against the motion
In the motion, DeRoop called for Government to provide funding to the RDC for this transportation. He noted that 1,141 sugar workers from Rose Hall Canje Estate and 1,851 from Skeldon Estate were severed by GuySuCo and the Government of Guyana.
“The workers were unable to secure alternative employment, and no alternative employment was provided by the Government,” he told the RDC, while adding that the sugar workers and their families have been severely and adversely affected.
He said the severed sugar workers have thousands of children attending school. and because of the unconscionable decision of GuySuCo and the Government, they are no longer able to send their children to school.
The RDC, he said, should be issued with funding to provide financing for the transportation of the affected children. All of the coalition councillors supported the motion.
Regional Vice Chairman Dennis DeRoop
And in a second motion put to the RDC, DeRoop called on Government to subsidize Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Water Inc (GWI) bills for these severed sugar workers.
The motion noted that the severed sugar workers are facing tremendous hardships, are unable to provide for the needs of their families, and have been unable to pay their GPL and GWI bills. Also, because of the direct action of the Government and GuySuCo, the communities that the severed workers reside in have become depressed.
That motion received unanimous support, with only Coalition Councillor Samuel T Fraser voting against it.
The RDC is now expected to instruct Regional Executive Officer Kim Williams-Stephen to inform Government of the wishes of the RDC. The RDC is hoping that Government would act swiftly.
