THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is calling on sugar workers to resume work as Skeldon, Albion and East Demerara estates still have three weeks remaining for the crop, Rose Hall has four weeks and Blairmont two weeks. In a release yesterday, the corporation said discussions relating to the Annual Production Incentive (API), had sparked the strike actions. “On no less than four occasions over the last three months we explained to the union’s delegation the dire financial crisis facing the industry. It is no secret that the current total revenue is just enough to offset payment of wages and salaries to its employees.
The Corporation offered for every 85,000 tonnes sugar produced one day’s pay API. This equates to 2.7 days for the corporation’s expected year’s production of 233,361 tonnes sugar.
“As we approach the holiday season, we are all aware that workers are predisposed to earn in preparation for the holidays but they are confused with the misinformation being peddled. No doubt this misinformation is meant to incite the workforce,” asserted the corporation.
The Corporation said it was reliably informed that the union’s local officer and its representatives were in the villages bordering the East Demerara Estates using a loud speaker to call out the workers to strike for one week instead of having the expected consultation on the corporation’s offer.
“We saw this become a reality when the workers of that estate responded on Saturday with the cane harvesters withdrawing their labour. Further the union representatives of Skeldon and Blairmont indicated to management that they would be proceeding on industrial action from Sunday, Blairmont harvesting reps were clear that they would be withholding their labour for the entire week,” said the release.
Meanwhile during a telephone interview with the Chronicle, President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand said that since last week the union was hoping to engage GuySuCo, but to no avail. Further the API which was promised to the workers was rejected, and that led to the ongoing protest.
The corporation however has agreed not to meet with the union until all the workers return to work. We have to summon a meeting of the union’s general council, to see if we can get them back out to work,” Chand said.