Close to 1000 cane harvesters of Rose Hall Sugar Estate are on strike and management has reportedly refused to meet with their representatives to resolve the issue.
Operations at Rose Hall Estate ground to a haltSome workers outside of the Estate
The harvesters, numbering 979, withheld their labour on Wednesday, forcing grinding at the estate to a halt.
The employees were reacting to a decision by management over obstacle payment. One of the harvesters, Mark Vieira, explained that the cane they are being asked to cut is of poor quality and have lots of weeds growing among it. It is for this reason that management should pay them the obstacle payment.
Guyana Times understands that management is only willing to pay the money if the workers would have completed their allotment of work for the day.
However, the harvesters have explained that they cannot complete what they are being asked to do because of the conditions which they are asked to work under.
According to Vieira, the workers are demanding to be paid the equivalent obstacle payment of the work already done but management is only willing to pay if the day’s task is completed. This he pointed out goes against the agreement signed between Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU).
Meanwhile, Errol Monroe of the harvesting gang also explained that workers are used to receiving obstacle payment based on the amount of cane cut. Now management is refusing to pay based on the amount of work done in a day and is demanding that the workers complete their day’s task before they receive the payment.
Field Secretary of the Rose Hall Estate, Sohanauth Rabindranauth, explained that on Wednesday management refused to address the concerns of the workers while they remain on strike. He disclosed that the Estate Manager Udie Persaud said he was not going to meet with workers representatives, and the issue will only be addressed when the workers were back on the job.
The strike has caused the workers to fall short of the week’s production target and earn an extra day’s pay.
Even as this publication sought a comment from the Estate Manager Udie Persaud on Thursday, scores of workers were assembled outside of the estate compound.
Guyana Times reporter was allowed into the compound by a guard who was soon loudly reprimanded by other guards. Other reporters were left outside. Security personnel then asked Guyana Times representative to leave.
Persaud’s secretary then explained that her boss was not in the office and that she did not know his cellular phone number.
Police from the Reliance Police Station were called and told that the media were in the main administrative building. However, the officer indicated that police cannot intervene.
Meanwhile, the striking workers opined that the estate is “going down” and is in need of a vibrant manager who is willing to engage workers.
They are of the view that the former Wales Estate Manager now stationed at Rose Hall has an agenda, and are calling for his removal. They are resolute that the strike will continue until their demands are met.
