…say action holding up severance packages

MORE than 100 workers of the Wales Sugar Estate have signed a petition calling on the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) to withdraw a court order that has effectively blocked them from receiving their severance packages from the Guyana Sugar Corporation. On Thursday, two of the workers approached GAWU’s attorney Anil Nandlall and presented the petition. They also met with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on the sidelines of Parliament to discuss their plight. Nagamootoo had earlier met with a delegation of Wales Estate sugar workers to listen to their concerns regarding the payment of their severance packages. Eleven sugar workers: Dyanand Sham, Wilbert Daymon, Azeez Khan, Safraz Alli, Sherla Leitch, Lloyd Benjamin, Cyril Joseph, Shafeek Khan, Prem Kumar Lakhan, Mohammed Haniff and Bridgnanan, who represented 99 workers, had sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to explain their plight.

The workers had told the Prime Minister that GuySuCo officials met with them and explained the plan to merge the Wales and Uitvlugt factory operations and promised they would be offered continued employment at the Uitvlugt estate. The workers said 99 workers opted not to take up this offer from GuySuCo and to accept severance packages instead. An agreement was made to commence payment of the severance packages in May. However, according to the workers, just before the scheduled date for payment of the severance packages, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) sought and received an order of the court which stopped GuySuCo from making the payments.
On Thursday, the workers reiterated their frustration because they have waited several months and GuySuCo is being prevented from paying them due to the court order.
Notwithstanding the complaints made by the sugar workers, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that based on advice received from GuySuCo, the sugar company is prepared to pay the severance. Money has been set aside for that purpose, but the company cannot violate the court’s order. Similarly, Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder confirmed that GuySuCo is prepared to effect the payment with immediate effect should the court order be lifted.
The workers thanked the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture for this information and explained that they had been erroneously advised by union officials that GuySuCo was not prepared to make the severance payments.
They said that they were part of several meetings with union officials and asked them to withdraw the injunction to allow them to be paid but to no avail. Prime Minister Nagamootoo explained that GuySuCo’s hands are tied in the matter as the company must comply with the order of the court and that the workers must make further representation to GAWU and NAACIE for them to gain relief. The workers said they understand the need to merge the Wales and Uitvlugt factory operations and opted for the severance to get on with their lives, but were now made to face undue hardships given the amount of time that has passed after they had expected to be paid. (GINA)