One year later and workers attached to Wales Sugar Estate, who refused work at Uitvlugt, are increasing their calls for severance pay on the belief that they could use the money to enter new business ventures to provide for themselves and their families. More than that, they have expressed much anger at the fact that they have been waiting since before the West Bank Demerara entity closed its doors on December 31, 2016, while workers at East Demerara and Berbice received their entitled termination benefits within weeks of closure.
Former cane harvester and father of four, Stanley Felix
Skull City squatting area, Patentia resident, Stanley Felix, had 16 years 10 months of service with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) before he was retrenched in 2016. Speaking with the father of four at a recent job fair to attract dismissed Wales workers and their family members at Patentia last week, the cane harvester in a somber tone, told Guyana Times of the plight that he and his colleagues are facing over the lack of finding consistent employment.
“It really affecting me family real bad because over a year now, me an really working, me an got no job, me an got no income nowhere, me an got no family to give me nothing and I would glad if the President or the Minister them could look into this matter and see exactly what going on with the people in Region Three. I wish if they could give people them money, so they can do something to elevate themselves,” Felix stressed.
The father of four, who has three school aged children, explained that not having employment is greatly affecting his ability to upkeep the education of his offspring; one of whom attends the L’Aventure Secondary in Canal Number One, another at Goed Fortuin Primary and the other at Patentia Secondary. Felix said his financial challenges will increased when his youngest starts school this September. Their ages are 14, 13, nine and three.
“I waiting on my severance since the estate close down in 2016 to now and now is 2018 and I can’t get no proper answer and people who come redundant after we and done get their severance already,” he remarked.
In providing further insight into his plight, the cane harvester explained that at present, the mother of his children is the principle breadwinner, but noted that her earnings at the fisheries are small. According to Felix, his financial situation is affecting his position as a man in the family, a contention which has been shared by other sugar workers.
“It making me feel real bad because for a woman working and a man not working, is really shameful on a man… all of this come because of the closure of the Wales Estate. Since I born, and grow is Wales Estate I know,” Felix told Guyana Times.
“My father worked there and get pension and bring me up from right there so I don’t know if the Government could see what they could do. I want them pay people their severance because people job become redundant and the union and GuySuCo have an agreement, so they should give people them money,” he added. He also noted that he feels disadvantaged in seeking alternative employment as cane harvesting is all he has known.
Several Wales workers and other supporters protested the President’s Office and the High Court on Thursday last demanding their severance. Along with their union, they also called on the Chief Justice to have the matter assigned to a Judge; some 10 months after the Union’s lawyer filed the case. The Wales Estate closure was seen as a cost-saving measure due to billions of dollars that were allocated to the declining sugar industry and nearly 4000 workers from Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon were similarly dismissed late last year, as part of moves which Government said would “reorganise” the industry.
