THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), in collaboration with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) are working to stem the transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the sugar industry.
The industry, a release said, still has thousands of sugar workers with dependents and it is imperative that Guyanese come together and confront the serious consequences that have been brought to bear by COVID-19.
“The workers’ organisations, as responsible bodies, consider it apt, at this time, to work in tandem with GuySuCo to protect first and foremost, the health, wellbeing and safety of the workforce; and secondly, secure the viability, and as practicable as possible, assure normalcy of the operations of GuySuCo. We hasten to add that just a few days ago GAWU, through correspondence, engaged GuySuCo regarding pragmatic initiatives which can be embraced in efforts to effectively apprehend any exacerbation of the situation,” the release said.
It added that the management of GuySuCo, in the interest of the thousands of its hard-working employees, has already implemented several preventative steps across the sugar industry.
These include sanitising labour transportation, workstations and machinery between shifts, at all locations. Additionally, hand-washing and sanitizing of hands by all staff members are emphasised and encouraged; as such, anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers were made available throughout locations – at Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates, GuySuCo’s La Bonne Intention Head Office Complex, Demerara Sugar Terminal, GuySuCo Aircraft Service and the GuySuCo Training Centre/Port Mourant (GTC/PM).
“Our employee education and awareness programme is being intensified; this is led by the Medical Services and Safety and Health Departments. Thus far, health education and awareness sessions and daily talks on COVID-19 are being held with various categories of employees,” the release said.
DISCUSSIONS
Some of the discussions are on symptoms; treatment; quarantine; responsibility to self, family members and the wider community, among others. Employees who are facilitating these sessions and talks are the estates’ medical officers, nurses and medexes; welfare officers; factory, field and administrative staff, including managers and security officers and local unions’ representatives.
Relevant information, public health advisories and prevention methods on COVID-19, are also made available to all employees, electronically and via hard copies or handouts. Apart from that, the unions, through their structures, are also engaged in informing sugar workers of measures they and their families should embrace to restrict transmission of the virus.
Additionally, the management of GuySuCo will be implementing a shift/rotation system on Estates and at the Head Office, in order to minimise large gathering of employees at various locations, at any given time. The GuySuCo Training Centre/Port Mourant (GTC/PM) was closed on March 18, until further notice, and all students have returned to their homes. Screening of visitors is also being done at entrances of all locations.
Over the coming days and weeks, the release said GuySuCo will be working very closely with the three unions to provide employees with information, to encourage the importance of individual responsibility to protect themselves, family members and the community in which we work and live as well as provide support to members of staff.
The corporation and the unions will remain in consultation with the Ministry of Public Health, as well as continue to closely monitor related developments, both locally and internationally, relative to the coronavirus.
“We sincerely believe that the practice of appropriate measures could see our people avoid what we have seen unfolding elsewhere and, at this time, we urge all Guyanese to heed the warnings, to practise social distancing and engage in healthy habits,” the release said.
