…Labour Minister announces
MINISTER of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, has announced the setting up of a three-man commission of enquiry to investigate claims made by workers of the Blairmont Estate. A letter from the minister to the General Secretary of the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, spoke of the ministry’s concern about ongoing strike actions in the sugar industry.
The letter, among other things, stated that the Labour Ministry was concerned about the ongoing strike actions in sections of the sugar industry.
The letter, also copied to Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, said the commission will commence its work when all workers are back on the job, and its findings should be ready for submission in three weeks.
The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had dubbed the employees actions as being baseless, and said the frequent work stoppages are having serious financial impacts on the industry.
The company had also said that should the strikes continue, the company’s ability to make payments on time will be hampered. There is also the issue of marketing commitments, and should the actions continue, there is no doubt that the company’s recovery process would be impeded.
GuySuCo had also advised that the workers take these factors into consideration, and realise that the company now has to seize every opportunity to harvest and grind to make up for lost time.
The Labour Minister also called on the union and its workers to strive to maintain industrial stability and to process grievances in accordance with the procedures currently in place.
The members of the commission are former Labour Minister, Dr. Dale Bisnauth, who will act as its chairman, while former Chief Labour Officer Mohamed Akeel and Industrial Relations Officer of GuySuCo, Deodat Sukhu, will act as a member and secretary respectively.