Sugar workers from the Wales and the East Demerara sugar estates on Thursday picketed outside the Ministry of the Presidency, while calling on the authorities to address severance payment as well as the proposed closure of two estates.

President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, who joined several dozen sugar workers from the combined estates, told Guyana Chronicle that the Wales Estate workers which include cane cutters and cane transport employees, are calling on the government and the management of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco) to discharge of their legal obligations as regards severance pay following the closure of the Wales Estate.

He said that the sugar corporation is demanding that workers from Wales turn out for work at Uitvlugt, a move which the union and workers do not find favour with.

As it relates to the Enmore and La Bonne Intention (LBI) Estate employees, Chand said that the workers at those two estates are worried about their future since government has not denied that the two estates in question are planned for closure. He said an estimated 2000 workers will be affected if that decision is made.

In 2016, Cabinet took the decision at its last sitting of the year, to have the consultations begin at the soonest possible time to ensure that the best interest of all stakeholders will be considered. Last month, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, in accepting the proposals from GAWU at the final stakeholder meeting held at the Ministry of Agriculture, said that Cabinet felt that consultation was the best way to go in the interest of all stakeholders.

He noted that while the Government will ultimately have to make a decision on the way forward for the industry, it wanted to make sure that the requisite stakeholders were consulted so that the best decision in the interest of all involved, could have been taken.

The outlook for Guyana’s sugar industry continues to looks grim. In January this year, GuySuCo officials declared that, funds injected into sugar industry at this time will be funds “wasted.”

The industry has received criticisms from all levels including in a report which was presented to the Parliamentary Economic Services Committee in January by GuySuCo’s top officials, Chairman, Clive Thomas and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Errol Hanoman.

With a debt of $77.3B and consecutive losses, officials have advised that the industry is one not worth investing in unless plans for the reorganisation, restructuring and diversification of the industry are present.