–GAWU says
The following is the full text of a statement from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union:
“THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has observed with concern the contradictory and confusing signals emerging from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) regarding its position on the sugar industry.
While Opposition Leader Mr. Aubrey Norton recently expressed a desire to “save sugar,” his political partner, Mr. Leon Saul of the Legalize Cannabis Guyana party – now affiliated with APNU – has publicly advocated for closing the sugar industry in favour of cultivating hemp and cannabis.
Although APNU has since attempted to distance itself from Mr. Saul’s remarks, the emergence of such discordant views within its ranks reveals a troubling lack of coherence and clarity. It evokes memories of the many past broken promises made by APNU.
It must be recalled that ahead of the 2015 General Elections, the APNU+AFC coalition promised sugar workers that the industry would not be closed but revitalised.
Instead, once elected, the coalition launched an assault on the sugar industry, resulting in the closure of several estates, including Wales, Enmore, Rose Hall, and Skeldon.
These decisions triggered massive layoffs, affected the livelihoods of thousands of workers and their families, and brought unprecedented hardship to communities across the sugar belt.
APNU’s claim that it now seeks to preserve the industry rings hollow, especially when its “plans” include repurposing sugar lands for construction, a move that raises serious concerns about the future of jobs and the industry’s sustenance.
GAWU is certain that citizens of Guyana, especially the many sugar workers, remain well-informed and discerning.
Workers vividly remember who stood with them in their darkest hours, and who wielded the axe that devastated their livelihoods. The latest contradictory remarks and policy flip-flopping are evidence that APNU lacks a vision or credible plan for the sugar industry.
“The Union urges sugar workers and the wider public to remain vigilant, and to recognise that any real future for the industry must be built on honesty, commitment, and respect for the contributions of the working class – principles that were clearly absent under APNU’s stewardship.”