–parties’ recent comments disingenuous given their track record, 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 taken note of recent statements made by leaders of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) concerning the future of the sugar industry.
These utterances, which appear to signal a renewed interest in the sector, come across as deeply disingenuous given the coalition’s own track record while in office from 2015 to 2020.
It was during the tenure of the APNU+AFC administration that the sugar industry faced one of its most devastating periods in history. The closure of several estates—Wales, East Demerara, Rose Hall, and Skeldon—led to the direct loss of over 7,000 jobs. It caused immeasurable harm to the lives of thousands more who were indirectly dependent on the industry.
The decisions taken under their administration shattered the livelihoods of hardworking sugar workers and devastated entire communities.
The closures dismantled the social and economic fabric of villages built and sustained around the sugar estates. Workers and their families faced declining standards of living, rising poverty, and despair.
Such actions came despite promises made by the APNU+AFC coalition prior to the 2015 elections that they would revitalise rather than close the industry; their actions betrayed that commitment. The betrayal is made worse when one considers that former and current leaders of the AFC have repeatedly dismissed the industry as a “blackhole.”
In contrast, the current Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, has advocated for the closure of GuySuCo at various times. Now, vague suggestions about “reorienting” the sugar industry offer little reassurance and instead raise legitimate fears of renewed job losses.
GAWU believes that the Guyanese people – especially sugar workers – are not fooled by hollow rhetoric and political manoeuvring.
Sugar workers and their communities remember the pain and hardship they endured under the APNU+AFC administration. They are fully aware of the consequences of policy driven by indifference and political expediency.
The Union calls on all stakeholders to be truthful and consistent in their positions and to genuinely support an industry that still holds promise for national development and rural economic vitality. GAWU remains resolute in defending the interests of sugar workers and will continue to advocate for a just, sustainable, and inclusive approach to the future of the sugar industry.”