–hopes there will be more relief for sugar workers

THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) says that the $25,000 payout recently announced by President Irfaan Ali will be able to assist workers, particularly the sugar workers, who they say were discriminated against since 2015.

On December 31, President Ali announced a one-off grant of $25,000 to all public servants, sugar workers and pensioners. The grants, he said, will “assist these workers to cope with the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

GAWU said on Monday in a press release, “We recognise that the grant comes on the heels of several other measures taken by the Administration to ease the cost-of-living, and to put more monies in the pockets of ordinary Guyanese.”
Importantly, too, the Union, which represents the rights of agricultural workers, including those employed by State-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), acknowledged the President’s attempts to end “the haughty discrimination” meted out to the sugar workers since 2015.

The inclusion of these workers in the grant for public sector workers, GAWU said, is a tangible demonstration of the Government’s stated intention to treat all equally. The President has emphasised his commitment to continuously support and revitalise the sugar industry.

The Union, however, said, “We recognise there is still some ways yet to go, but we hold, too, that the last few months seem to indicate that better times are ahead. Undoubtedly, our people look forward to such reprieves, especially considering the taxing burdens they had to fetch during the stint of the Coalition.”