Rose Hall Estate workers attached to Albion on strike

…claim victimisation by GuySuCo

Field workers, who previously worked with the Rose Hall Estate and who have been transferred to the Albion Sugar Estate, are demanding their severance pay, saying efforts are being made to frustrate them and management of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) seem to be in a direct ploy to force them to leave the job.

The workers staged a picketing exercise outside the old Rose Hall Estate compound, chanting “Severance! Severance. No wuk.”
Workers are upset over the working conditions at the Albion Estate. Speaking with the media, the workers said the persons who were transferred from the Rose Hall Estate are being discriminated against by the management of GuySuCo.
According to the workers, they are not told where they have to work until they arrive each morning at the estate. The workers also alleged that even if the work is not worth their labour, they are forced to work since the lorry driver refuses to take them back home.
“We are not able with what Albion going on with,” one worker told Guyana Times, adding, “They force we and carry we deh. They tell we a set ah lies.”
Some of the workers told this publication that the crop commenced five weeks ago and to date they are still to receive tools.
“Without tools you can’t work,” he said.
The workers also claimed they have to travel long distances to get to work. In fact, some of them claim that on occasions, it is almost four hours after leaving home that they arrive at their work site.
They say they are being asked to fetch cane from further distances while the machine works the close cane to load punts.

The hardship, the workers said, had resulted in their earnings being reduced by more than 60 per cent.
Only last week workers who were transferred from the said Rose Hall Estate to the Blairmont Estate downed tools in protest, sighting discrimination and unfair treatment.
However, these workers say they are convinced that there is a deliberate attempt to make it difficult for them. They are now rebelling.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) will meet with the workers today.

GuySuCo’s concern
Meanwhile, following the strike on Wednesday, GuySuCo in a statement said it is becoming increasingly concerned with the developments relative to employees on strike at the Albion Estate, who were transferred from Rose Hall Estate as a result of the transitioning process in the Corporation. According to the Sugar Corporation, some of the cane harvesters have been on strike for the past two days and their stated reason being that they are entitled to severance payment.
“The Corporation wishes to state that the strike action is illegal and is in breach of the ‘Extant Collective Labour Agreement’ existing between GuySuCo and representative Union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union,” GuySuCo said.