Workers at the Uitvlugt Estate on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) on Tuesday morning staged a picketing exercise demanding that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) stop procrastinating in relation to the salary/wage discussions.
Just on Monday, workers at the Albion and Blairmont Estates in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) staged a picketing exercise demanding that the same issues be addressed.
According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the Uitvlugt workers are peeved that GuySuCo continues to engage in delaying tactics.
Some of the Uitvlugt Estate workers during the picketing exercise on Tuesday
The workers lamented that the GuySuCo hierarchy has taken their cooperative attitude for granted. They shared that they have learnt that while they are being asked to be patient, some in the top brass of the sugar company may be engaged in self-aggrandisement.
“The Uitvlugt workers underscored their willingness to engage the Corporation meaningfully in finding an amicable settlement to the long-standing issues. They are like their colleagues of Albion and Blairmont hopeful that the Corporation could come to its senses and serious talks could begin in earnest with a view to finding a solution,” GAWU said in a statement.
On Monday, the Union accused GuySuCo of dragging its foot on the issue of wage increases for workers.
The Union explained that salary negotiations have been ongoing for years and the Corporation seemed to not be interested in bringing an end to the discussions. It has been several months now since GAWU and GuySuCo have resumed discussions on wage and salary improvements, and yet it appears there has not been any movement on the part of the Corporation. The Union said that the thousands of sugar workers remained committed to the success of the sugar industry; however, it recognised too that the workers also played a critical role in the attainment of that success and, therefore, the procrastination seen could not be helpful in this regard.
